


The Dyad

by WingsofaBird



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-17 14:20:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 39,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28601334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WingsofaBird/pseuds/WingsofaBird
Summary: Rey and Ben explore the nature of their connection and look towards the future of the galaxy and the Jedi.
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Finn





	1. Rising Again

The lightsabers fell from Rey's trembling fingers, and her knees buckled. She collapsed to the ground, the dust gritty against her skin. The Sith throne faded from view as her vision went black.

Ben dug his fingers into the cold, jagged stone, dragging himself over the edge of the cliff. His entire body aching, he glanced up and made out Rey's body through blurry vision. Please let her still be alive. He staggered to his feet, stumbled a few steps towards her, then fell to the ground again. There was something wrong with his leg, he knew it, but he couldn't stop to find out what. Not when Rey needed him. So he crawled. He managed another few staggering steps before collapsing to the ground by her side.

Her eyes were closed, her lips parted. He took her body into his arms and held her tightly to his chest, willing her to still be alive. His shaking fingers sought a pulse at her neck. For a moment, his own heart nearly stopped. But then he felt a flutter. Her chest rose and fell against his, ever so slightly. She was alive, but only just. He could sense that she was fading fast.

So he shifted his grip, closed his eyes, and breathed deeply, reaching out for the Force. It entered him like a flowing stream, and he willed it into her. The Force hadn't felt like that to him for so long. He watched her face with bated breath, praying he hadn't been too late.

Her eyelids fluttered, a breath passed between her lips, and there she was. She had returned to him. She sat up, her keen eyes searching his. A smile touched her lips, and she whispered, "Ben."

His name had never felt more like his own than in that moment when she spoke it.

And then she leaned in and kissed him.

Her lips were softer than he had expected, softer than her hard-edged scavenger persona would have suggested. He found it hard to breathe as she pulled gently away. He grinned, almost giddy with disbelief. She smiled back, her eyes sparkling. Then a wave of fatigue swept over him, and his vision faded into darkness, a roaring in his ears and a numbness in his body. He could hardly feel her hands on him, supporting him, but he knew that she wouldn't leave.

"Ben?" Her voice sounded so far away. "Ben, are you all right?" It seemed to fade in and out of existence. He sensed the Force surrounding him, pulling him gently away from her. He felt a profound sense of peace, of calm, of serenity. He had given up all he had left for her. That was enough for him.

"Ben, please." Her voice cut through the silence again. "Don't leave me." He could hear tears in her voice, a crack in her hard exterior.

Slowly, shapes formed out of the darkness. Luke appeared, then his mother, then his grandfather, in the prime of his youth as Ben had only seen in holograms from the war. Leia stepped forward and held out her hand.

"It's time, Ben. Come and rest."

He dropped his eyes from her gaze and bowed his head. "I'm so sorry, Mother." Tears gathered in his eyes. "I don't deserve this, I did so many things wrong. I turned my back on you, on all of you."

"Your story is my story," Anakin said. "You have redeemed yourself, Ben."

Ben looked up, into each of the faces before him. They seemed entirely in earnest. No resentment from Leia, no fear from Luke, and no disappointment from Anakin. They actually seemed to want him. "I don't understand:" he said, his voice almost choked into silence from tears.

"There will be plenty of time for explanations," Leia replied.

He took a step towards them, where the Force seemed to be leading. They would welcome him with open arms, he would be remembered as a hero, Rey would go on-Rey. Rey would be alone. She was alone. The vision of his family blurred and flickered for a moment, and he saw the Sith throne and her white figure bent over his body in flashes.

"What is it?" Leia asked.

Ben shook his head, trying to clear his vision. Still, all he could see was her tear-stained face. Her voice broke through again, just his name, over and over again. His name. Ben. He had left it behind for so many years, but it finally felt like his own again.

"I can't go," he said finally. "There's so much I still need to do. I'm not ready to go yet. I need to fix my mistakes, I need to be better than I was. I have to prove I can change."

"You've done enough," his mother replied, taking his face in her hands. "You can rest now. You helped Rey to bring balance to the Force and to fully embrace her identity."

"But she still needs me," he said, sensing it was true as he spoke the words. He felt a tug at his heart, a tug that wanted him back in her arms.

"She's stronger and more resilient than you know," Luke said. "She can do this on her own."

"But she shouldn't have to. I want to go back, I want to face what I've done. I have to." Ben said, his gaze centered on his mother's face.

A pained smile crossed her face. "Very well," she said, then pulled him into a hug. "I'm so proud of you," she whispered into his ear. "I'll still be here when you decide you're ready."

And then, in a blink, he felt the gritty stone beneath him, all the pain and aches returning, and her arms. He opened his eyes and saw hers staring back at him, glassy with tears.

"Oh, Ben," she whispered, and held him tightly. "Thank you for coming back."


	2. Kyber Crystals

Ben settled into the copilot's seat next to Rey, who was bent over the navicomputer. She's so beautiful. I think that's everything," he said. "So where are we going?"

Rey glanced over at him. "I'm not sure yet. How about you take a look? Maybe the Force will tell you where we need to go."

He stood so he could see the navicomputer over her shoulder. It showed the entire known galaxy. Ben narrowed his eyes in concentration and felt a pull towards the Outer Rim. He zoomed in on the map and then pointed. Rey knew the name on his lips before he spoke it. "Dantooine."

"Let's get going," he said.

Rey powered the Falcon up, and they rose from the jungle floor. She could only just make out Poe and Finn standing below to see them off. They had wanted to come-as much to protect her from Ben as anything else-but she sensed this was a journey she and Ben must take alone. Still, part of her wished she could stay with them.

They exited the atmosphere and made the jump to hyperspace in silence. Rey was lost in thought; Ben, on the other hand, seemed like there was something he wanted to say, but couldn't quite bring himself to. Once autopilot took over, Rey stood to leave the cockpit, but Ben stopped her.

"Are we going to talk about this?"

She looked sharply at him. "Talk about what?"

"What happened on Exegol."

She scowled. "Some other time, perhaps. Once things have settled down."

"Rey, things aren't going to settle down. There's too much to do. You can't put this conversation off forever."

She scowled and sat back down. "Fine. What, exactly, did you want to talk about?"

He took a steadying breath, knowing there was no going back. "Did it mean anything at all to you?"

"Did what-"

"The kiss."

Rey's expression was stony, her mouth set, her eyes hard. "I'd rather not discuss this now." She turned away from him and stared out the window into the blue, whirling tunnel of hyperspace travel.

"Why not?"

"I don't know!" Rey shouted. "I'm just not ready to sort through all that yet. We have more important things to do right now."

"Oh, like sit around waiting to get to Dantooine?"

"No, I meant-ugh, you're impossible!" She got to her feet and stalked out of the cockpit. He could hear her rifling through the toolbox, looking for something to fix. He closed his eyes and slowed his breath, grabbing hold of the connection that always stretched like a taut rope between them. He crept along it towards her, probing her mind for answers. Why won't she talk about it?

Through her blind anger, Rey sensed Ben's presence at the walls of her mind, searching for a way in. She dropped the tools she held and strode back to the cockpit.

"Ben, stop it!" she shouted. His eyes opened, startled. His face was full of confusion. "Leave. Me. Alone." Then she was gone again. He sat back in his seat, wondering what he had done wrong. Wasn't their connection meant for that? Weren't they supposed to understand each other? He shook his head and rubbed his face. I'm not sure I'll ever understand her.

Rey didn't return to the cockpit until they were on final approach to Dantooine. Ben was busy examining the hologram of the planet. "Where do we land?" she asked tersely.

"Here," he said, pointing to a spot beneath its equator.

Without another word, she eased the Falcon out of hyperspace and brought it to the planet's surface near the place Ben had indicated. They landed in the middle of a wide meadow with a stream running through it and surrounded by a thick forest on all sides.

"I think this is where we part ways," she said, not at all displeased with the prospect of being away from him.

He stood. "Great. I'll see you back on the ship, then."

Rey strode down the gangway and into the grass, following the stream straight to the trees. She didn't care so much where she was going as long as she could get away from him and his prying. She hated the connection between them, hated knowing she could never be fully rid of him. They were bonded in a way she didn't understand, and that lack of understanding galled her.

She broke into a jog once she reached the trees, unable to calm her restless mind. Faster and faster she ran, wanting nothing more than to get away. She leapt over the stream and tripped on the other side, but rose immediately and continued on..

Ben remained in the cockpit for some time after she had gone, mulling over what had happened. He wanted to reach out to her again, to probe her mind for what she was thinking and feeling, but he didn't want to make her angry again. How are we supposed to explore this bond if she refuses to talk to me?

He sighed and turned to leave the ship, hoping things would sort themselves out. He could see where her steps had pressed the grass down in a straight line to the edge of the forest. He scowled. Fine. We'll do this alone, if that's what you want. Then he turned and walked in exactly the opposite direction.

Rey came to a stop next to a large boulder, her breath spent. The pressure in her mind had abated only slightly. She scowled back the way she had come. You'd better leave me be, Ben Solo.

She walked on, her mind still too restless to find any real connection with the Force. Every time she felt she had grasped it, it slipped away from her. She screamed in frustration and anger. Why today, of all days, did he have to bring it up?

Ben stalked through the forest, caring little about the plants he crushed under his boots. He had ruined everything, just like he always did. People had never made sense to him, and despite the connection they shared, Rey now seemed further away than ever. He swung his fist into the nearest tree, and it quaked from roots to leaves, but remained standing. His knuckles ached so badly he could barely move his fingers, but he pushed the pain away and punched the tree again. He hit it with his other fist then, pummeling the tree until he'd lost the feeling in his fingers. Tiny bark chips flew off of the trunk, but the tree was otherwise unaffected by his assault. He collapsed next to it, cradling his head in his bloody hands.

Finally, Rey made herself stop moving. She was here for one thing, and one thing only: her kyber crystal. She couldn't let anything, not even Ben, get in her way. She sat cross-legged on a boulder and closed her eyes. She forced her breathing to slow, and brought her focus to the sounds of the forest around her. She heard a faint breeze rustling the leaves, a creature rummaging through the undergrowth. Then she sunk deeper. She let the Force pull her into the very being of the forest. She sensed every life force around her, down to the smallest insects. She sensed the slight sway of the entire forest. She could even sense the history of the place, the experiences of each plant and creature.

She lost all sense of her own body and her own consciousness in that of the forest. It lived and breathed all around her, vibrant with the Force. She narrowed her focus, returning her attention to her crystal. Where is it?

Ben sat up, his back against the tree. He stared at his own hands, now trembling. He had fought so hard to put Kylo behind him-his confusion, his rage, his anger, his pain-but there he was, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. He scowled. He had been weak and undisciplined. It was time to forget about Rey and get what he came for: his crystal.

He shifted to kneel, closed his eyes, and brought his attention inward. He became aware of every sensation in his body; the sharp pain in his hands, the tension in his chest and shoulders, the breath coming in and out of his nostrils. Deliberately, he gathered the tension and released it into the Force. He allowed his focus to widen, to encompass the ground underneath him and the tree at his back. He felt the bark digging into him, the water in the soil seeping into his trousers. He widened his focus further, searching for a beacon of light amid all the forest's noise. Show me where you are.

Rey stood slowly, her eyes still closed. She stretched a hand out to sense her crystal's pull, turning this way and that. Finally, she felt a distinct tug, almost like a rope had been tied around her hand and was pulling her towards it. Opening her eyes, she moved towards it.

Ben sensed a warm glow off to his left, almost like a beam of light. He stood and watched as a path seemed to open up for him. Obediently, he followed it through the trees and bushes, stepping over the meandering stream when it crossed his path.

The rope grew more and more taut the closer Rey got to her crystal, and Ben's light grew brighter and brighter the closer he got to his. They could feel their crystals pulsing. Rey's path took her straight to the edge of a sinkhole. She placed her feet gingerly on the crumbling edge and looked down. It was deep, so deep she couldn't see the bottom. She picked a rock up from the ground and threw it in. After what felt like ages, she heard a plunk. Water. The rope led straight down, into the sinkhole. She glanced up and around her, looking for dangling roots, vines, anything to help her get down. And then she saw Ben. He stood on the opposite side of the sinkhole, between two massive trees. His gaze was still fixed on the sinkhole below.

Rey stepped back from the edge, back into the shadow of the trees. She wasn't quite sure if she wanted him to know she was there yet. She looked back into the sinkhole, wondering if there was a way down without being seen, but no such luck. Her side was awash in sunlight. He would spot her the moment she stepped out of the trees. Why shouldn't he? Why should I be afraid to let him see me? Why should I be afraid to face him? Stiffening her spine, she stepped into the sun.

His head snapped up. "Rey?"

Now the rope pulled taut between the two of them. They walked towards each other, around the sinkhole's edge. They met and faced each other silently, eyeing each other. Ben was the first to speak.

"They're down there."

Rey nodded.

"It's funny, I went in exactly the opposite direction you did, and we still ended up in the same place."

"The Force seems to have a way of doing that to us." Her eyes were hard, her mouth set.

He sighed. "Rey, we can't do this. Not like this."

"Well I'm perfectly content to go it alone, but the Force seems to have other ideas." The way she spat it out, it sounded like she blamed him.

"What did I do wrong?" he cried.

"You tried to take what I was unwilling to give," she replied, stepping closer to him. "You think you get to dictate how and when things happen. Well, you don't. You're so twisted inside that you can't even see what's wrong with what you did."

He was silent, and his face was stony, but his eyes spoke volumes: hurt, shock, confusion, doubt.

She let her eyes fall from his, and folded her arms. "Look, Ben, I want to explore this connection as much as you do, but not like this. It has to be something we do together. As equals."

His brows drew together. "I'm just trying to understand you."

"It doesn't work like that. You can't just peer into my mind and know everything there is to know about me. You have to take your time just like everybody else. Next time you want to know something, wait until I'm ready to tell you."

"All right," he said, because there was nothing else to be said. Then, after a long silence: "I'm...sorry, Rey."

She nodded in acceptance, her eyes softening. Then she glanced down. "What did you do to your hands?"

He looked down at them, now crusted with dried blood. "I, uh, fought off an army of….porgs."

A beat passed, and then they both burst out laughing.

"Porgs? That's the best you could come up with?" Rey managed.

Ben shrugged good-naturedly.

"Here," she said, holding out her hands for his. He placed his hands on hers, palm-to-palm, suddenly realizing how much larger his hands were than hers. She held them gently and breathed deeply. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her. The way her eyes narrowed to pinpricks of concentration, the way her thumbs gently caressed his battered hands, the way the tendrils of hair framed her face. A tingling sensation overwhelmed his hands, just like when she had healed his stab wound just weeks ago. The skin seemed to knit itself back together, and the blood faded away.

"Thank you," he said.

"Of course," she replied. "Now, shall we go after our crystals?" A small smile touched his lips, and they both turned to the obstacle at hand: making it to the bottom of the sinkhole in one piece.

"Can you sense what's down there?" he asked.

"Water," she replied. "I threw a stone in earlier."

"We can't risk jumping since we don't know how deep it is."

"No, but those vines might get us close enough to find out." She pointed across the sinkhole to a recess in its wall where vines had crept over the edge and hung down in a tangled mess.

"Works for me."

The two of them set out for the other side of the sinkhole. Neither of them spoke, but their thoughts and feelings were in harmony, focused on the goal of getting their crystals. They could sort out all that lay between them once they had succeeded.

When they reached the edge the vines sprouted from, they glanced at each other, gave an encouraging nod, and started their descent. Rey was nimble and quick, her instincts honed from years of scavenging. She made quick work of the vines and soon reached the bottom, where the vines twined away into nothingness. Ben was a little slower, but his strength did not fail him and he made it to the bottom not long after.

They hung there together for a few moments, their breath the only sound breaking the silence. Both gazed down into the pool of water that awaited them, sensing the call of their crystals beneath the surface. It was almost completely dark where they hung, the dim sparkles of sunlight on the water few and far between. The water looked almost...oily. Thick and heavy. Not the sort anyone would want to swim in. And yet, their crystals beckoned.

So without another moment's delay, they released their grip on the vines and fell into the still water below. Under the water, Ben found Rey's hand and they burst to the surface for air together.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"Are you?" she challenged, her eyebrow arched.

Taking a deep breath, they dove under again, the pull of the crystals stronger than ever. They could see nothing, but the Force was enough to guide them. Down, down they swam, until their lungs screamed for air and the weight of the water felt like it would crush them. And there, at the very bottom of the sinkhole, lay their crystals. Ben thought he was imagining it at first when the tiny pinprick of white light reached his eyes. But it grew brighter and brighter by the second, and soon he could see it clearly, nestled in the alcove of a larger outcropping of rock.

They braced themselves on the rock and reached for it at the same time, but Rey took hold of it first. She held it up, and it illuminated her face. Two crystals, fused together, nearly the size of her fist. They locked eyes for a moment and then pushed off the bottom to begin their ascent to the surface. They gasped for air and blinked the water from their eyes as they broke the surface. Rey held their crystals out of the water, and Ben took her hand in his to bring them closer. They both gazed at the crystals, so unmistakably theirs, and yet inexplicably joined together.

"It seems we can't escape one another," Rey managed between breaths.

Ben chuckled. "Let's get out of here."

Rey nodded and tucked the crystal away in her pocket. They reached for the dangling vines, but couldn't quite reach.

"Here, I'll brace myself on this rock over here and push you up. Then you can help me up."

"How do you know I'll help you up? Perhaps I'll just leave you here and take the crystals myself." She said it with a spark of humor, but her words still cut into him. Pushing his doubt and uncertainty away, he boosted her up to the vines, and once she had a solid grip, she reached down to help him up. He braced himself against the rock, then leapt towards her outstretched hand. She caught his arm and gripped him tight, surprising him with her strength. He grabbed hold of the dangling vines and hauled himself up the rest of the way. They made the climb in silence, both squinting as the sunlight reached their eyes.

They crested the top and lay there on the dirt, gasping from the effort.

"We did it," Rey said, taking the crystals from her pocket and gazing at them.

Ben smiled. "Yes, we did." If he could have, he would have made that moment stretch out forever. The way the light caught the crystals and danced in her eyes, the overjoyed smile on her face, the Force enveloping them in its embrace. It all felt so right.

"Now all we have to do is figure out how to separate them."


	3. New Lightsabers

Rey and Ben sat cross-legged on the grass facing one another. The fragments of metal that would become their lightsabers lay between them on a cloth. The crystals, still joined, lay in the middle. Rey had taken her pieces from her staff, and Ben had gathered his from the Falcon. He never wanted to forget his last conversation with his father.

"Ready?" Rey asked. He nodded, and they both closed their eyes, tuning their thoughts to the Force. In unison, they each raised a hand, and the crystals rose from the ground to float between them. Rey could sense every facet of the crystals and exactly where one ended and the other began. Her crystal felt warm and soft. It called to her in a voice strange and familiar at the same time. She reached out to Ben to see if he had found where the crystals were joined, too. He responded with a gentle pressure, and they both bent their focus on the crystals.

Their hands came so close they almost touched, and their brows furrowed in concentration. The crystals began to tremble and glow, one side taking on a faint golden hue. Rey and Ben increased the pressure on the crystals, and suddenly they split with a soft pop, each crystal flying into its respective hand. Rey opened her eyes to see her crystal. She grinned. "Ben, it's yellow!"

He was staring at his in confusion. "Mine's...still white."

"What?" She came to her knees so she could see the crystal cradled in his palm. It was white, brilliantly so. But there was no doubt that it belonged to him. She could sense his courage, his stubbornness, his determination in that crystal.

"I don't understand, it's supposed to take on a color," he said.

"Maybe yours is just white," Rey replied. "It's not impossible, right?"

"No, I've just never heard of anyone with a white lightsaber before. I thought it would be blue, like my first one."

"Perhaps it's because of how much you've changed since then," Rey said. "That crystal belongs to you, we can both sense it. I'm sure everything's fine."

He glanced up at her. "Yeah, you're probably right." But her words could not erase the seed of doubt in his heart.

"So do we start building them now?" Rey asked, enthusiasm sparkling in her eyes. She could hardly wait until she held her own saber in her grip.

"Yeah, it's hard to explain, but the Force helps you know what pieces should go together. It's like a puzzle."

Rey nodded, her mind already spinning with the possibilities. "Let's do it."

They both sunk back into the Force again, letting it flow through them. One by one, the fragments before them rose and clicked into place around their crystals. When Rey could sense it was finished, she opened her eyes and let it settle into her palm. Ben was still working, his brow furrowed, beads of sweat on his forehead, so she stayed silent. She looked it over, admiring it. It's perfect. Then she frowned. Not quite. She unwound a strip of leather from the handle of her staff and wrapped it around the grip of her lightsaber. There. She couldn't help but smile at it.

Ben's last piece clicked into place, and he opened his eyes, his new lightsaber dropping into his hand. It was sleek and weighty, and it balanced perfectly in his grip.

Rey raised an eyebrow. "Decided to stay with the crossguard, I see."

Ben shrugged. "What can I say, I kinda like it."

They ignited their lightsabers and gazed up the length. Rey was completely awestruck. It felt like an extension of herself in a way neither Luke's nor Leia's had. Ben's saber was, indeed, white. He wasn't at all sure how that had happened, but decided it didn't really matter. The saber was his, and its blade held steady, not like the crackling, unstable mess his last lightsaber had been.

Rey's eyes locked with his between the blades of their lightsabers, a mischievous glint in them. "Shall we test them out?"

"Absolutely."


	4. Kylo's Return

They slept under the stars that night, both reveling in their success and neither quite ready to return to the galaxy that waited beyond the atmosphere. Their problems hadn't vanished, not by a long shot. There was still so much to do to heal the galaxy after years of turmoil and violence and occupation. So Rey and Ben decided, without saying a word to one another, that they could take this one night to breathe before jumping headfirst into the chaos of a newly liberated galaxy.

Rey slept soundly and deeply, but Ben's sleep was troubled. He was back at the tree he had pummeled earlier that day, but he was wearing his old mask and carrying his old saber. Then he was outside of his body, watching as he slashed the tree to pieces with the crackling red blade. Then Rey was there, out of the blue, standing in front of the other him. The other him tore off his mask, and Ben found himself staring into his own enraged face. Without a moment's hesitation, and in spite of Rey's tears, the other him cut her down. She lay there, lifeless, a smoldering hole through her abdomen. Then he reentered his body and found himself standing over her, clutching the weapon that had just murdered her. His other half. He had killed her, and now she was gone forever.

Then he woke up, covered in sweat and gasping for air. His hands shook violently as he rubbed his face, trying to expel his demon. A sudden terror gripped his heart like an icy fist, and he looked over at Rey, hardly able to breathe. For a long moment, there was nothing. And then her chest rose and fell. She was alive. He lay back on the grass, letting out a long sigh of relief. But the moment he shut his eyes, there he was, holding the mask in one hand and the saber in the other. He sat bolt upright again, fists gripping the grass, tears choking his throat. Will I ever be free of this?

He couldn't bring himself to try to sleep again, fearing the nightmares that waited for him, so he stood and walked to the stream, gazing into its glassy surface. It chuckled along without a care in the world. He glanced down at his hands-still shaking. So he started pacing along the water's edge, trying to let the sound of the water lull him into a more stable mindset. Then he knelt by the water and cupped some of it in his hands, splashing it over his face and bare chest. He rubbed the sweat away, welcoming the bite of the chill water. That done, he shifted to sit cross-legged and closed his eyes to meditate. But there he was again.

Can't you see I'm not that man anymore? he cried out to the Force. He bowed down until his hair brushed the grass and cradled his head in his hands. Hot tears gathered in his eyes. A ragged sob escaped him. I've changed, I've changed, I'm not him anymore. He drove his fist into the ground, furious at himself, at the Force, at everything. I can't live like this, tormented by my past at every turn. I should have let myself die while I had the chance. He clenched the grass in his fists, breathing hard as the tears kept rolling down his cheeks.

You're a monster. Rey's words rang through his mind. You're twisted inside. He gripped his head as though he could make those words stop, his chest aching. He was sobbing uncontrollably now, completely at the mercy of his demon. Between sobs, a breathless plea could just be heard: Please stop. Over and over again. Please stop.

At last, the tears slowed to a stop, and he raised his head from his hands. Everything suddenly seemed clear. He could see the meaning in his dream last night, his vision. He would eventually destroy Rey, as he had already destroyed his family and the galaxy. He had not changed enough yet to leave his past entirely behind him. He had made all the outward appearances of change, but inside, he was still just a twisted monster. Tears rose in his throat again, but he choked them down. I know what I have to do, but I don't know if I have the strength to do it.

You do.

When Rey awoke the next morning, a bit cold and stiff but otherwise refreshed, Ben was gone. The hollow his body had made in the grass while he slept next to her was still visible, but unoccupied. Mentally shrugging to herself, Rey rose to get the Falcon ready for departure. Ben was probably off practicing with his new saber or exploring the forest or something. He'd be back soon.

But he wasn't. The sun was well on its way to its zenith when she realized that he wasn't going to come back. Perhaps he's hurt. She closed her eyes and reached out with the Force for the rope that always held taut between them. She made her way along it, and she found him at the other end, but it was as though his back was turned to her, as though he had erected walls around his mind. She could sense his presence, but none of his thoughts or feelings. He had never been so closed off to her.

She opened her eyes. He had to still be on the planet. And she would find him. She walked to the stream, where the ground was softer, and searched for signs of his passing. There. He had clearly spent quite some time at the bank of the stream; the grass was flattened in a large circle. She bent down and brushed her fingers to it. An image flashed before her eyes: Ben kneeling, tears streaming down his cheeks, bent over in agony. Please be okay. She placed her entire hand on the flattened grass and focused her energy, asking the very earth beneath her where he had gone. His footprints appeared one at a time, stretching out across the ground before her. She hopped over the stream and followed them onward.

Then she sensed his presence nearby. She looked around, expecting to see him. "Ben? Where are you? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Rey." His voice, rich and deep as always, echoed in her mind. "You don't need to come looking for me. I left to keep you safe."

"What are you talking about?"

"I had a vision, Rey. I watched myself murder you."

"What?"

In reply, he let her see it. In a flash, she was standing in the forest, watching Kylo slash the tree and then impale her. The vision left her breathless, and her knees buckled.

"I had to protect you."

"I can protect myself, Ben," she snapped.

"I know, but I...I can't lose you." He sounded so vulnerable, so afraid. She could sense how much pain he was in.

"You won't lose me," she replied, her tone softer.

"You can't promise that."

She sighed. "Just come back, Ben. Come with me."

"I can't risk it. He's still there, inside of me, and until I leave him behind completely, no one, least of all you, is safe."

"We can figure this out together."

"This is something I have to do alone."

"So you're just going to leave me to rebuild the Jedi Order all on my own?"

"I'll come back when I'm ready."

The hugeness of her task gaped before her like a chasm. "Ben, I don't think I can do this by myself. I need you."

"You need to stay alive first." And then he severed the connection. Just like that. The walls went back up and he was gone. The forest around her felt so much emptier without him.

Fine. Fine. I'll leave you here to rot, if that's what you want. Selfish prick. She turned on her heel and stalked to the Falcon, rigid with anger. In less than five minutes, she was lifting off the meadow floor and blasting off to the rebel base.


	5. Rey Skywalker

Once Rey entered hyperspace, she sat back in her seat, gripping the arms tightly. I can't believe we're doing this. He just...left. After everything we've been through. He just doesn't want to have to deal with everything we have to do. He would rather slink to some forgotten corner of the galaxy and hide, like Luke did. Coward. For a moment, she wanted nothing more than to do the same, to hide from all her responsibilities. But then she mentally squared her shoulders. No. This is my duty. I have to follow through. Just because Ben's running away, doesn't mean I get to. This is what Luke and Leia expect of me. I can't let them down. I'll just have to do it without Ben. I have the wisdom of generations of Jedi Masters on my side, I can do this. I can do this.

She took a deep breath and released the arms of her chair, forcing herself to relax a little. Everything's going to be all right.

Then, as if summoned by her thoughts, she heard Leia's voice inside of her head: "Rey, there's something I need you to do."

She sat up straight. "Of course, what is it?"

It was Luke who spoke next. "Take our lightsabers to Tatooine and lay them to rest near my old home. There's something you need to know there. Then wait there for more guidance from us. We will help guide you as you continue on your path."

A smile touched her lips. "Thank you."

"May the Force be with you," Leia replied, and Rey felt a warmth surround her that felt much like Leia's embrace. Then they were gone.

Tatooine. Luke's old home. She had no doubt that Maz would be able to help her find it once she returned to the rebel base.

Her return did not go unnoticed. Poe and Finn were the first waiting for her at the bottom of the gangplank, shooing everyone else away to give them some time alone with her.

"Generals," she greeted them with a glint in her eyes.

"Master Rey," Poe replied mockingly, performing a sweeping bow.

The three embraced.

"So let's see it," Finn said.

Grinning, Rey pulled her new saber from her waist and turned the dial to activate the blade. Both Finn and Poe stared up at it in honest admiration.

"It's beautiful, Rey," Poe said, and Finn nodded in fervent agreement.

"Thank you," she replied, her grin widening.

"So...did he come back with you?" Finn asked, his eyes narrowing.

Rey sighed. "No." Finn and Poe exchanged a glance, both cautiously optimistic that they could leave the complicated figure of Kylo Ren behind them. "He had some sort of vision where Kylo took over and murdered me, and he was so afraid of hurting me that he ran off in the middle of the night, just like that, without telling me." Her frustration was evident, but it was a feeling Poe and Finn could not share.

"Where is he now?" Poe asked.

"On Dantooine still," she replied. "He can't leave without a ship. He said he would come back when he was ready, whatever that means."

"So is this some kind of Luke-style exile or something?" Finn asked.

"I suppose so," she said. "He's such an idiot sometimes. I tried to get him to come back, but he wouldn't."

"Rey," Poe began, somewhat hesitantly. "That might not be such a bad thing." She glanced up sharply, but he continued before she could say anything. "The rest of the Resistance is having a hard time accepting his change of heart. To be honest, it looks more like he saw his chance to be on the winning side and took it. They'll need time to accept it, and not having him around for a while might help."

She sighed in frustration. "I know. I just wish they could see him like I can see him."

"I don't doubt your judgement, Rey," Poe replied. "I trust you. But he interrogated and tortured me personally before he got to you, and Finn was one of his stormtroopers. Please understand that this isn't an easy thing to get used to for us. He hurt a lot of people, and everyone here directly suffered as a result of his actions."

Rey was silent for a few moments while Poe and Finn watched her with bated breath. "I'm not naive enough to pretend I don't see what you're talking about," she said finally. "He put all of us through so much." Then her eyes came up to meet theirs. "But that was Kylo, and this is Ben. I know him better than anyone, and I've seen into his heart. The light far outmatches the dark now. Something about what Leia did before she died really reached him."

"I understand all of that, Rey," Poe replied, fighting to keep his voice level. "All I'm saying is that here might not be the best place for him. A lot of people here still want him dead."

She frowned. "I suppose you're right. Dantooine is probably much safer than here. Still, I wish there was a way to work all of this out. I need his help, and I need you to trust him."

"Then we'll do our best to make that happen, Rey," Finn said.

A wan smile touched her lips. "Thank you. To be quite honest, I haven't the faintest idea of where to begin with all this. I was never even fully trained as a Jedi, and now I'm left on my own to somehow rebuild the entire order from scratch.."

"What can we do?" Poe asked. "Things are still pretty crazy around here, but we'll do whatever we can."

"Luke and Leia told me to go to Tatooine and leave their lightsabers there and that they would provide further guidance once I did that. So I'm afraid I'll have to leave again right away."

Both looked disappointed. They knew that her path would have to take her away from them often, but they still wished she could stay. "If that's what the next step is, then go," Poe said, offering a supportive smile. "We'll be here when you get back."

She nodded. "Thank you for being such good friends to me." They hugged once more, and then Rey left to consult Maz.

Once again, Rey found herself flying away from her friends, but this time, she was totally alone. She took Luke's old X-wing instead of the Falcon now that she didn't have a co-pilot. Ben's desertion still galled her, but she knew it was probably for the best. The galaxy was unstable enough without asking it to trust its former tyrant. And Kylo Ren had left plenty of scars in his wake. She knew there was a very real possibility that Ben Solo would never be fully accepted or trusted by anyone aside from her.

She landed right next to Luke's old homestead, where he had lived with his aunt and uncle before meeting Master Kenobi. She stepped out onto the sand, which felt familiar and friendly after all the grass and forest and mud she'd slogged through. Tatooine's desolate landscape reminded her so much of Jakku. She had spent so many years there, but it had never quite been home. She had been a nobody there, nothing to anyone. She never could have dreamed that she would become a Jedi, much less that she was the grandchild of the greatest Sith Lord of her age. She shuddered at the memory of Sidious's mangled hands, his deformed face, his glowing eyes. It was still difficult to believe that he was really her grandfather.

For so long, she had wondered about her parents, hoping for them to come back, longing to know who she was. But now that she knew, she didn't want it. She didn't want to be known as a Palpatine. A Palpatine was twisted and evil, a being that belonged to the dark side. She had chosen the light and would continue to choose it until her dying day.

Touching the bag that hung at her side to make sure the lightsabers were in there, she headed to the house itself. It was flooded with sand after years of abandonment. She unearthed a fragment of plastic and slid down the hill of sand on it, just like she used to in her scavenger days. She explored what little of the house was still accessible, searching for a proper place to bury the lightsabers.

Then she felt pulled back outside. She knelt near the central dome of the homestead and lay the sabers out on a piece of cloth. She wrapped them gently and bound them with a string, then focused her energy to push them into the ground, deeper and deeper until she knew no one would ever find them. The sand slipped into the hole after the lightsabers, burying them. She stood, surveying her work.

Then an aged voice reached her ears. "Who are you?" She glanced up to see a bent old woman holding the lead rope of a camel.

"I'm Rey," she replied, as she always had.

"Rey who?" came the question that Rey had become so accustomed to. She couldn't say Palpatine, she would never openly acknowledge her heritage, but she wasn't just a nobody anymore, either.

Rey sensed a stirring in the Force, and looked over to see Luke and Leia materialize from the sand of the desert. They were both dressed in white and smiling. And in that moment, Rey knew her answer. "Rey Skywalker."


	6. A Familiar Bond

Ben crested the top of the hill, sweat soaking his shirt. He shifted his pack and turned to look the way he had come. The forest stretched out below him like a carpet, and far below, he could see the meadow where they had spent the night, the silver ribbon of the stream winding through it. He watched as the Falcon´s thrusters powered up and lifted it off the ground. Within seconds, Rey was gone. There was no going back now. He turned his back to the meadow and continued on, pushing himself higher and higher. As the trees and underbrush thinned, a chill breeze brushed his skin, cooling his sweat. He didn't know where he was going or what he was looking for, just that he hadn't found it yet.

His heart ached to reach out to her, to talk to her again. But it was too dangerous, he couldn't know where she was. Kylo couldn't know. He would reach out to her once he knew Kylo couldn't hurt her anymore. She didn't understand yet, but she would.

He nearly missed it, he was so lost in his thoughts. But the Force tugged him back to reality, and he looked around. There was a large outcropping of rock just ahead and to his right, covered in vines and moss and earth. He set his pack against a tree and stepped towards the rock. He tugged at the vines, dragging the clinging tendrils apart. Underneath, there was cold, empty space. A cave. He stuck his head inside, then powered up his saber to provide some light. The cave was larger than he expected, tall enough that he could stand straight, and deep enough that the light from his lightsaber didn't reach the back wall. He ducked back out and retrieved his pack, then wrestled with the vines until he could get his entire body into the cave.

He raised his lightsaber to examine the cave. It was dry, the floor and walls uneven, but smooth. The dirt was gritty under his boots as he took a few steps forward. He held his saber up to the walls to look at them more closely, and found faded streaks of color, like paint nearly worn away. His lightsaber didn't give off enough light to examine them closely, so he reached into his pack for a torch. He switched it on, and the cave was suddenly bathed in yellow light. The back of the cavern still faded into darkness, but he was able to see the paint better. He held the light close to the wall and squinted, trying to make out what had once been there.

He made out the figure of a person with a yellow line just in front of them. They stood in front of some kind of building, between it and an indistinct horde of creatures. Near the front of the horde, he could see a vertical red line. There seemed to be some kind of script underneath the painting, but he couldn't read it. He stared at the painting, totally mystified, until it hit him. Sith and Jedi. The lines were lightsabers, the building some kind of sanctuary, maybe even a Jedi Temple. That would make the Jedi a Sentinel, or some precursor to them. His lips parted in amazement as he examined it. It must have been thousands and thousands of years old. Long ago, there must have been a Jedi presence here.

He continued along the wall, towards the back of the cave, looking for more signs of art. There were some smudges of paint, but water had dripped down the cave walls, destroying most of it. All he could make out was the remnants of an "X," a yellow line crossing a red. That must be the Sentinel and the Sith fighting. Then he found something more distinct. The Sith, all in black, standing over the Sentinel, his saber at the kneeling Sentinel's throat. Next to that, they stood face to face, and Ben thought for a moment that he was moving backwards in the story. Then he saw the next one. They were shaking hands, their sabers at their sides. And the Sith's saber was white. He stared at it for a long moment, wondering if somehow the pigment of the red had been rubbed away. But as far as he could tell, it had originally been painted as white. The next and last painting showed the two of them in a setting much like the first, both standing before the temple and defending it from a horde of creatures.

He stepped back from the wall, his mind reeling, wondering who the paintings were of, if it was a true story, who had painted it, and most of all, how the Sith and the Sentinel had become allies. Why didn't the Sith just kill the Jedi? What changed his mind? How had he come back to the light? And how had the Jedi come to trust him?

He turned to the opposite wall of the cave, hoping for more to their story. That side was dominated by a single image. It showed the Sith and the Jedi, still in the traditional black and brown, but with the yellow and white sabers. They stood back to back, their sabers angled outwards, but the artist had drawn a blue circle around them and some kind of sinuous tether stretching between the two of them. He brushed his fingers against the blue paint, and a vision flashed before him.

He saw the two of them, facing each other with their lightsabers crossed, red and yellow, just like the destroyed painting he had seen. Their hoods were up, one black, the other brown. They sprung into action, their blades whirling faster than his eyes could follow. As they moved, their hoods fell back, revealing the faces of two women. They stepped back from one another for a moment, allowing him to study their faces. They looked so similar they could have been sisters, both with curly, dark hair and almond-shaped eyes.

"Ashe, you must stop this madness. Look at what you've done already. Please, come back. Come home." The Jedi spoke, her voice ragged and weary. She looked beaten and exhausted, nearly hopeless.

"It's too late for me, Chiara. Mother and Father will never take me back now. Just give it up." Her voice was hard and jagged, and her expression and stance matched it. "I've chosen my path, it's time for you to accept that."

"I've seen a vision," Chiara replied. "I've seen that you will turn, you will fight at my side, at our parents' side." So they were sisters.

Ashe spat on the ground. "I'll never fight alongside you again."

Then they lunged at each other again, and their figures vanished in a whirlwind.

For a split second, Ben could sense the dirt beneath his knees, the shock of hitting the stone floor reverberating through his body, and then he was swept away again.

Ashe and Chiara stood side by side on the edge of a cliff, surveying the view below. It was pure carnage, mangled bodies soaked in blood tossed haphazardly throughout a meadow. With a shock, he recognized it. It was the very meadow he and Rey had stayed in the night before. The stream, rather than running bright and clear, ran red with the blood of the carcasses. Scavengers were already gathering to feed on the carnage.

"What have I done?" Ashe's voice was faint, her words barely audible. "I killed them all. They were innocent, they didn't deserve to die. But I slaughtered them."

Chiara was silent. It was only the truth.

"You did this, you forced my hand." Ashe turned on her sister, sudden venom in her words. She ignited her saber and held it to Chiara's throat. "Kneel."

Obediently, Chiara knelt. "If you strike me down, I will be with you always." Ben inhaled sharply as those very words echoed through his mind in his uncle's voice.

"Then so be it," Ashe spat. She raised her saber to deliver the killing blow. Chiara shut her eyes, preparing to become one with the Force. But the stroke never fell. She opened her eyes to see Ashe staring at her with tears in her eyes. Her red saber fell to her side, and the blade retracted into the hilt.

Chiara stood hesitantly, eyeing her sister with confusion.

Ashe turned away. "Go," she said, her voice hoarse.

"I don't understand," Chiara replied.

"I said go!" Ashe lashed out, scowling at Chiara.

Chiara turned to go, but then stopped. "No," she said, turning back. "Not without you." She walked to her sister. "I sense the conflict within you, let go of your hate. Come with me, and I will help you. It's not too late for you, Ashe."

"How would you know that?"

"Because I know you better than anyone else. We have been bound together from the moment we left our mother's womb. We share a connection that no one else shares. We understand each other in ways no one else can." Seeing her sister begin to sway, she pressed on. "I see into your heart and mind, just as you see into mine. You long to return, to redeem yourself. Give into that. Turn away from this dark path."

"I don't think I can."

"I will be with you every step of the way." Chiara took her sister's hand and squeezed it tightly. They stood like that for a moment, and then Ashe let out a sob and buried her face in her sister's chest. Then the vision vanished into smoke once more. Ben felt his cheek rubbing against the dirt for a moment before he was swept away again.

The sisters stood side-by-side again, overlooking the same cliff, but this time, Ashe's saber was brilliantly white. He could sense that the dark energy had been purged from it, leaving it pure. He sensed the harmony of the sisters, their unbreakable bond. And though they had lived long before him, the bond felt incredibly familiar.

Then they were gone, and he was left lying on the ground, staring at their painting on the cave wall, all the breath knocked out of him. His hands trembled, and his skin felt ice cold. Slowly, he got to his knees, his eyes fixed on the mural depicting them surrounded by the blue circle. And he understood what it meant. They were a Dyad, too. The shock echoed through him. He could hardly believe it was possible. But he had seen it, he had felt it. They were like him and Rey. He had so many questions to ask, and no guarantee that they would answer, but he had to try. If not for his sake, for Rey's.

But first, he needed to find the temple they had defended together. More than likely, it was in ruins, but he sensed that was where he would find the strongest connection to them.


	7. The Greatest Teacher

Rey went inside the domed house to meditate in order to avoid interruptions. She sat cross-legged on the sand in the center of the circular space and closed her eyes.

"I'm ready, Luke," she spoke into the Force. "What did you need to tell me?"

Almost immediately, she felt his presence, and then Leia's. She opened her eyes to see them sitting before her, and couldn't help but smile to see them so at peace.

"The path the Force has set you on is a daunting one," Leia began. "You are the only one who can carry on the legacy of the Jedi. But there is much you have to understand before you will be prepared to begin."

Rey nodded, eager for more.

Then Luke spoke. "During your time here, many Jedi that have passed into the Force will visit you to share what they know. They will pass on their knowledge and their perspective to help you find the right path."

Rey's eyes widened in amazement. "I'd be honored to learn from them, Master Luke."

Leia smiled at her, eyes twinkling. "You're not alone in this, Rey. You never have been." She reached over and touched Rey's hand reassuringly. "We will be with you every step of the way."

"Thank you, Leia," Rey replied, tears gathering in her eyes.

"When you are ready, Master Yoda will come to you. He had a hand in training nearly every Jedi in the last days of the Old Republic, and he lived to see its fall. He knows more about the Jedi Order than anyone."

"Thank you," Rey said as the two began to fade away. "I won't fail you."

Left alone, Rey took a shaky breath. It all came down to her to resurrect an ancient order of peace-keeping warriors, something Luke himself had tried and failed to do. Her chest felt heavy with overwhelming responsibility, and more than anything, she longed to have Ben by her side to sort this through with. For a moment, she considered reaching out to him to see if he would let her back in, but she crushed the thought. I can wait as long as he can.

So she shut her eyes again and reattuned herself to the Force, awaiting Yoda's arrival. She couldn't afford to waste time and energy wondering about Ben; there were more important things to do. She sensed a presence unlike any she had sensed before, wizened and ancient, but mischievous and clever, too. Powerful in the Force, but small in stature, which she realized the moment she opened her eyes.

He was tiny, green, and wrinkled, with massive, pointy ears protruding out from the sides of his head. His green eyes felt as though they could see straight through her, but there was no malice in them.

"At last we meet, Rey Skywalker." His voice came from the back of his throat, rough and almost...knobbly-sounding.

"It's an honor, Master Yoda. I've heard much about you." She inclined her head.

"From Luke Skywalker have you heard?" Yoda shook his head. "Very little did Skywalker manage to learn from me." But there was a purse to his lips, a twinkle to his eye, that told her he wasn't entirely serious.

"Luke said you could tell me about the Jedi Order under the Old Republic."

Yoda chuckled, a delightful sound. "So quick to reach the point, you are. Your adopted family, chosen well you have."

"I can't afford to wait, Master Yoda."

"But wait you must. Not ready are you to begin this journey."

"Wait for what, Master Yoda? Wait until another tyrant conquers the galaxy? The galaxy needs the Jedi back to protect it."

"So sure of that, are you?"

"Well I don't see anyone else stepping in to do it."

Yoda sighed and looked down, the first time she had seen him wholly serious. "Misunderstood, the Jedi Order is. Meant to be more, it was. A better one, you must create."

Rey stared at him, totally nonplussed. "Master Yoda, how can I even begin to do that?"

"Fallen, this Jedi Order has. But countless others before it fell. Rebuild, its survivors did. Now you must do the same. Show you the path, the Force will."

"Master Yoda, I don't think I can do this."

He stabbed his knotted stick at her. "And that is why you will fail."

Her brow furrowed. "If I'm destined to fail, why try at all?"

"Fail many times you will, before you succeed," Yoda replied. "Persevere, you must. Discouraged, you must not be. Not easy is the path you walk, but necessary it is. The greatest teacher, failure is."

She nodded and lifted her chin, beginning to shoulder the burden that lay before her. "Then tell me what I need to know about the Jedi Order."

Yoda's spark seemed to return, and he chuckled again. "Still impatient, are you? Answers to your questions you will receive. Speak to many others, you must. Tell you of the Jedi Order, they can. No more words have I for you." And then he was gone.

Her mind spinning, Rey stood to pace. Not ready are you. A better one, you must create. One thing was certain: she had to understand the Jedi Order before she could even begin to plan a better one. She had come face-to-face with just how little she knew of it. She only knew what Luke had told her, and he only knew what others had told him. Her task was a daunting one, but she had to start somewhere.

Steeling herself for the long journey ahead, she sat once more, shut her eyes, and slowed her breathing, slipping beneath the Force's waves. Whatever her next visitor had to say, she was ready to hear it.


	8. The Darkness Within

Ben hoisted his pack back onto his shoulders and made his way out of the cave. The sun had begun to set, and he squinted against its light. As he straightened and let the vines fall closed behind him, allowing his eyes a moment to adjust. Then he heard a rustle and a snap just to his right, and he whipped out his lightsaber, turning to face whatever unseen enemy lurked there. He reached out with the Force and could sense no presence there, and after he blinked a few times, his vision confirmed it. Still guarded, he took a few steps forward, saber still raised. Nothing. He sheathed his saber, but his eyes still darted back and forth, unable to rest.

As he shifted his pack, he became aware of his racing heart. He and Rey had not seen a single living soul during their time there, but he knew that didn't mean much. On a forested world like this, someone could have been watching their every move and they would never have known. All his senses on alert and his hand still tightly gripping his lightsaber, he continued further up the mountain.

Eventually, he encountered an ancient pathway worn into the grass and dirt. It led him in switchbacks across the face of the mountain. He trod on until the setting sun's last rays shot across the valley below, until sweat dripped into his eyes, until each his legs felt like lead. And still, on the path wound. As darkness fell, his progress slowed, but he refused to stop. When he could no longer see his hand in front of his face, he reluctantly pulled out his torch, knowing it would give his position away to anyone who might be watching, but unable to continue any longer without light.

The yellow light bathed the rocky path, casting deep shadows. He had to rely completely on the Force to sense anyone approaching him, because he could see nothing outside of his circle of light. Onwards and upwards he traveled, the cool air chilling his sweat against his skin and raising goosebumps all down his arms. He could no longer distinguish the section of the path he then trod from any other he had passed over. It all looked the same to him. The valley below had vanished into the night, as well as the peak hovering somewhere above him. His eyes and his head grew heavy with exhaustion, but he pushed himself onwards. He was close, he could sense it.

At last, he came across something; a squared outcropping of rock overgrown with moss, but still recognizable as the remains of a wall. He bent down close to it, shining his light on it, all his fatigue forgotten. Perhaps it was the entry gate for the temple compound. With a renewed sense of purpose, he straightened and strode on. As the path wound upward, he encountered more and more signs of the ancient temple: square stones that lay across his path, carved pillars broken into fragments, the remains of great statues overgrown with lichen. And with each step, the Force grew stronger until it was almost a hum reverberating through the air. He could sense it in every fiber of his being: this place was ancient and sacred. The Force seemed to beckon him onwards, inviting him to discover the secrets of the ruins.

He came to a large stone courtyard, amazingly intact after years and years of weathering. The too-narrow beam of his torch revealed grass pushing its way up between the stones. The Force penetrated his mind and his heart, and he shut off his torch to better sense it. He could see nothing, not even once his eyes adjusted to the darkness, but he did not need to see. The Force clung to the air, passing into his lungs, suffusing his entire body with warmth. It guided him forward, his steps unerring in the darkness. The grass underfoot became broken stone as he crossed the remains of the courtyard. Each step sank him deeper into the Force and brought him closer to the answers he sought. Nothing else mattered.

At the opposite end of the courtyard, a spiral staircase delved underground, and Ben followed it into a cavern. It was blacker than pitch, but he could sense how large it was. The air was dank and musty, but it welcomed him as though he was coming home after a long journey. He deposited his pack at the base of the stairs. His steps brought him to the very center of the chamber, and he knelt before easing himself into a cross-legged position.

His lips parted, and he gasped a little as the Force overtook him. It washed over him in waves of prickling energy, sharpening his focus and his awareness. He had never been so fully immersed before. He could sense the entire planet, and the entire galaxy beyond it. Every being whispered to him in colors and shapes and feelings he could not name before they slipped away. For the first time, he understood for himself how the Force bound the galaxy together. As his view expanded, he started to sense more depth, beyond the whisperings of the galaxy's myriad presences. He started to sense the pain and grief that underlay it, a dark murmur flowing beneath the whispers.

And then he saw how much of that pain had come from him. An image of the other him flashed through his mind, the crackling saber seared on his vision. He flinched. His chest rose and fell with shuddering gasps as the Force dragged image after image through his tortured mind. He saw the innocents he had murdered, the rebels he had tortured, the subordinates he had terrorized. He saw himself through the galaxy's eyes; a masked tyrant, ruthless and hot-blooded, rash and volatile. A ragged sob escaped his throat, and he gripped his head in his hands, a silent scream on his lips. He saw them all, and their ghosts seemed to crowd around him in a cacophony of rage and sorrow. He could almost feel their hands, ice-cold, clawing at him.

In terror, he yanked his saber from his belt and ignited it, slashing at the empty air around him, a strangled cry erupting from his lips. In his mind's eye, he saw them vanish like smoke. His saber clattered to the stone from his trembling hand, and his breath came in great, shuddering gasps as he fought his tears back. He slumped over onto his side, knees curled to his chest, and a whimper escaped him.

"You'll never be rid of them," a clear, firm voice spoke. His saber leapt to his hand, and he ignited it, jumping to his feet.

"Who's there?" he growled, the darkness pressing in on him until he could barely breathe.

"Oh, it's just the person you came all this way for," the voice replied drily, and he whirled around to face its source.

He found the Sith from his vision, the edges of her form blurred and tinged with blue. Her curly hair framed a pair of sharp eyes that glinted in his saber's glow. Her face wasn't unkind, exactly, but she did look uncompromising and a bit distant.

"Put your lightsaber away, Ben Solo," she said, a little more gently. "I won't harm you."

His eyes dropped to his saber, and he sheathed it, looking self-conscious.

"Sit," she said, and took a seat herself. Obediently, he lowered himself to the stones, facing her.

"So tell me why you have come, Ben Solo."

His gaze snapped up to hers, confusion flitting over his features. "Don't you already know?"

"Of course," she replied evenly. "But I want to hear it from you. And something tells me you need to say it."

He nodded his head submissively, dropping his gaze to his hands, which were faintly illuminated by her glow. He felt so small and alone there, in the center of that massive cavern with only the ghost of a long-dead Sith for company.

She reached her hand over and placed it on his. "I know the burden you carry, Ben Solo. I have carried it myself."

Tears welled up in his eyes, and his chin trembled. "I...I don't know if I can do this." His shoulders slumped.

"Tell me."

Ben shook his head and bowed it further, fighting the tears back. She waited patiently while he composed himself, her hand still gently resting on his. Despite his large frame, the darkness and misery had shrunken him into no more than a child in her eyes.

He took a shaky breath. "I feel...lost." His deep voice shattered the silence. She could almost see the wheels turning in his mind, working to make sense of the tangled mess of emotions. "All I seem capable of doing is causing pain." His gaze was still glued to his hands. "I hurt...all those people." His voice took on a savage quality. "The entire galaxy suffers from what I did, I feel it. I murdered innocent people, I murdered my own father-" A sob choked his words off. "Both my mother and my uncle died for me, and I just don't see how it was worth it. I should have been the one to die, they should still be alive." Another sob, and a tear slipped down his cheek.

"I can't fix what I've done, I can't go back and change it. The galaxy will always bear the scars of my actions, there's no way to erase them." Another tear slipped down his cheek, dripping onto his upturned palm. He clenched his fist around it, nails biting into his flesh. "I want to let go, I want to leave him behind, but I can't. He's just there all the time, and I can't get rid of him no matter what I do." The words tumbled out of him now. "I'm so broken and twisted, and I just keep hurting everyone around me. Everyone would just be better off without me. Luke should have killed me when he had the chance. Rey should have let me die. I don't deserve to live, and I can't live like this. I can't live with the memory of what I've done haunting me at every step, never letting me rest. I can't live with myself." The tears had dried, stiff, on his cheeks, and he sat there motionless, staring at his clenched fists.

She allowed the silence to settle. "You have just voiced every doubt that came to my mind after I first turned back to the light. I didn't know how to go on, how to reconcile the person I once was with the person I wanted to become. I had caused so much suffering in the world and in the lives of the people who loved me most." He was silent and unresponsive. "I murdered in cold blood, just as you did. I turned my back on all that was good and entrenched myself in the darkness. I allowed my pain to consume me to the point that I inflicted it on others. Now, Ben Solo, did I deserve to die?"

He looked up now, taken aback by her question. "I can't-I can't pass judgement like that. You changed, you became a better person."

"And yet you pass judgement on yourself?" Her query was gentle, but probing, and she allowed it to hang there in the darkness. "Who is to say that you won't go on to change, to become a better person?"

He fixed his gaze on his hands again, but his fist had loosened a little.

"If I can change, then so can you, Ben Solo."

"How did you do it? How did you get rid of the darkness inside of you?"

Her gaze rested on him, full of gravity. "I didn't."

"What do you mean?"

"I didn't get rid of it," she replied. "The darkness rests inside everyone, waiting to be released. No one is wholly without it. And no one who surrenders themselves to it can ever be free of the effects of that choice. You will always carry Kylo Ren with you, Ben Solo. He is a part of you now."

His eyes slowly lifted to meet hers, brimming with fear and sorrow and pain, begging her to say otherwise, to tell him he could leave Kylo Ren behind him forever.

"You must learn to hold both Kylo Ren and Ben Solo," she said. "You must learn to make room for them inside your heart and soul. You will need both of them to overcome what lies before you. I see great courage in you, Ben Solo. I see the promise of a bright future. I see in you what Rey sees in you. In time, you will learn to see it for yourself." His gaze was fixed on her. "You are capable of more than you know. And one day, you will look back on your life and feel satisfaction instead of regret, pride instead of shame, happiness instead of misery. You will be grateful for all those who spared your life." Her gaze felt weighty and intense. "You are not alone in this, Ben. I am here to help guide you, just as my sister will help guide Rey when the time comes." She planted a kiss on the top of his head that he could not feel and cupped his face in her hand. "Until we meet again." And then she faded away.

He drew a trembling breath in, his mind spinning with all that she had said. He is a part of you now. He shuddered and got to his feet, ready to escape the darkness. Swinging his pack onto his shoulder, he made his way back up the stairs and out into the fresh air. He breathed it in deeply. The sky was grey, the sun waiting to rise just behind the mountains. It was time. He needed Rey.


	9. His True Name

Rey had returned to meditation, seeking the next Jedi Master who would guide her. A slight crease appeared between her eyebrows as she concentrated, her mind more restless than normal. She drew a deep breath in and released it, dropping her shoulders and relaxing her muscles. For a moment, she still felt nothing. But then, she sensed a presence.

"Rey?" I know that voice. Her eyes shot open, and she saw Ben standing before her, his dark eyes intense.

She scrambled to her feet. "Ben, I don't have time for this right now, I've got more important things to do."

"Rey, listen to me, I found another Dyad here on Dantooine. You have to come and-" As though struck from behind, his head bobbed, and he started to sway. Rey reached out and grabbed his hand to keep him upright, but he vanished.

She stared at the spot he had just been in shock. Then she huffed in frustration, muttering "Damn it, Ben" under her breath as she snatched her bag from where it rested against the wall and sprinted out to the X-wing. She climbed into the cockpit and shoved the headset onto her head.

"Ben Solo, one of these days you're going to be the death of me," she muttered as she powered up the thrusters and took off.

Ben came to slowly, his bleary mind struggling to make sense of what had happened.

"He wakes, mistress," a gravelly voice said to his left.

His eyes blinked open to see a roof of wooden beams above him, firelight dancing over them, and he tried to sit up, only to be stopped by cuffs around his wrists and ankles. He turned his head to look around and saw that he was surrounded by shadowy figures.

"You will release me," he commanded them.

A sultry chuckle sounded from behind him, and he tried to twist his head to see its source to no avail. "I'm afraid your mind tricks will do you no good here." He sensed the Force winding through the air like a snake, binding each member of the circle together.

"Who are you?" Ben asked, flexing his muscles to test his bindings. The knotted rope dug into his skin, but showed no signs of giving.

The figure behind him stepped to his head and leaned over him. She was the only one without her head covered by a hood. He couldn't make out many of her features in the semi-darkness, but he saw silver eyes and a flash of pointed teeth as she spoke. "We are the guardians of these sacred ruins that you have desecrated with your filthy presence."

"I was led here by the Force," he replied. "Two ancient masters, Ashe and Chiara, wanted to teach me here." A hiss arose as he named them, beginning at the female at his head and rippling around the circle.

"You dare to speak their names? You, who have dishonored their legacy with every action of your miserable existence?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You think we don't know who you are? What you have done?"

His heart pumping in his chest, he replied, "My name is Ben. I've come here for guidance, that's all."

Another hiss rose from his captors.

"Yes, Ben is the name your parents gave to you, but it is not your true name."

A deep-seated, nameless fear rose in his chest like vomit.

"Why don't you tell us your true name?"

"Tell us…" the others whispered.

"Ben Solo is my name," he said through gritted teeth.

"You lie!" they hissed in unison.

Glaring straight up at the ceiling, he repeated, "Ben. Solo. Is my name."

A sudden pressure exerted itself on his mind from all sides, as though spears were being pushed into his brain. He squeezed his eyes shut and cried out, his back arching off of the table.

"Say it!" they shrieked, whether with their voices or inside his mind, he could not tell.

The pressure increased, puncturing his thoughts and fragmenting his senses.

"Say it!"

A guttural scream tore from his throat and his arms strained against the knotted ropes until his wrists were rubbed raw.

"SAY IT!"

"Kylo Ren!" The name thrust its way between his lips and hung heavy in the smoky air above him. The pressure gave out, as though it had never been there, and Ben was left weak and trembling, his breath stuttering in and out. His brows came together, and a tear slipped from the corner of his eye and into his hair.

The female's expression was hard, her gaze unforgiving. His pain did not move her one bit. "There, that wasn't so hard." Her voice seemed to stab into his mind, and he winced, turning his head to the side. She smiled, an empty, cruel expression on her, and lowered her mouth to his ear.

"Now, Kylo Ren," she murmured, clipping the words off with her pointed teeth. "You will die."

"I'm not who you think I am," his voice wavered out. "I'm not him anymore." Even he didn't sound convinced. Still he turned his head back and opened his eyes to look at her. Silver and black, merciless and pleading, dry-eyed and tear-filled. The two gazed at each other as the silence stretched out. "Please." The word was no more than a whisper.

The corner of her mouth lifted in cold amusement. "No." She stood straight. "You are what you have always been, and that is a child of light who gave himself to the darkness. You should have died years ago so that the galaxy could have been spared, so that we could have been spared."

Ben shut his eyes again, a breath shuddering in as her words struck him, so much like the words he himself had said to Ashe only a short time before. But he gathered the scattered pieces of his consciousness and mustered enough energy to ask, "What did I do to you?" He had to know.

Her lip curled in disdain. "Why do you wish to know? So you can gloat over us one last time before you die?"

"Just tell me." His voice was hoarse, rasping out of his throat. Those three words carried so much force, so much desperation, so much pain, that even the female was taken aback.

She smoothed her surprise away and said, leaning close to his ear again, "As you wish. Your last memories will be of the agony you've caused." She placed her clawed hands on either side of his head, turning it upwards. He did not resist, only his eyelids fluttering in response. She shut her eyes and bowed her head as each of her hooded followers raised a hand over Ben's body.

He stiffened as the vision began in a burst of light. In flashes, he saw stormtroopers patrolling through the forest, ragged people hiding behind trees and in caves. The female's knife-edged voice echoed in his mind. "During the final years of the Empire's rule, we welcomed the Rebellion into our homes, allowing them to establish a base here. We longed to see the Empire fall and the return of democracy and peace." He watched the stormtroopers flee and the people celebrate. "When news reached us of Sidious' fall, we rejoiced. We drove the remnants of the Empire's army from our planet and began to rebuild, just as the rest of the galaxy did."

He saw an old X-wing land in the clearing he and Rey had landed in. Then he watched as his uncle climbed out, a very young Luke. "In gratitude for our aid to the rebels, Master Skywalker came to us, offering to train some of our young in his new Jedi Temple. We accepted, for we had long desired our people to learn the ways of the Force from a true master, not just the tales and superstitions passed down through generations of our ancestors." He saw mothers embracing their children tearfully before releasing them. "Our children strongest in the Force were chosen to go with him, and we saw them off with high hopes, believing that Master Skywalker had the power to restore all to the glory it once held." The children ran off to a transport ship, packs almost as large as them bouncing against their backs. "We were wrong to trust him."

The vision shifted in a blur to a place Ben knew well: Luke's rebuild Jedi Temple. He began to realize what was coming, and he fought to turn away, but the female only gripped his head harder, her nails digging into his flesh. "Luke Skywalker allowed you to train among our children, despite the growing darkness he must have sensed in you. Perhaps you remember them." Flashes of faces passed in front of his eyes. He recognized them, but did not know their names. Her nails dug even deeper into his face. "They burned to death the night you razed the temple to the ground. You murdered them in cold blood. This, Kylo Ren, is why you deserve to die." She released him, and his eyes flew open, his breaths shaky.

"Any final words?" she asked mockingly.

Silence fell, only broken by his trembling breaths. Then he spoke, the words stammering from his lips, broken and awkward. "I'm sorry." Another tear squeezed out of the corner of his eye. "I can't explain what I did or justify it, and there is no forgiveness for what I've done." His breath slowed as he came to a resolution, and he locked gazes with the female, his eyes empty. "I do deserve to die."


	10. Escape from Dantooine

Rey had just begun her descent through Dantooine's atmosphere when she sensed it. Ben was in pain. Then his pain exploded in her skull, like it was being squeezed from all sides. She cried out in pain, and her hands left the controls to hold her head. In her mind's eye, she reached for the connection between her and Ben and shut it down as best she could. The pain ebbed just enough for her to open her eyes. Frantically, she yanked up on the controls as the belly of the X-wing brushed the tree tops. The nose swung up just as another wave of pain hit her. The X-wing veered to the side as she lost her focus, and one of the bottom wings smacked into a tree trunk, sending her spinning out of control. She fought to keep her grip on the controls as the pain intensified and as the trees whirled around her. Her shoulder smashed against the glass of the cockpit, and then her head, and her fingers slipped from the controls as she blinked to clear her vision.

The nose of the X-wing plowed into the soil, and it began to tip forward, but Rey threw her hands out and used the Force to push it back. It landed heavily on the ground. Rey sat there for a moment, stunned and shaking. Another wave of pain washed over her, and she clutched her head in agony, tears gathering on her lashes. Then it subsided at last, and she gasped for air, leaning back in her seat. With trembling hands, she undid the buckles of her harness and pushed the cockpit open. She leapt to the broken ground and nearly lost her footing, but steadied herself against the ship. Taking a deep breath, she stood straight and assessed the damage to the X-wing. The nose was crumpled, and the bottom left wing was dented badly by the tree trunk. The glass of the cockpit was cracked, and the screens inside were flickering. She doubted she could get it off the ground in that shape, and in any case, it only had space for one passenger. She would have to call for a ship to come pick them up.

But first, she needed to find Ben. She shut her eyes and threw a mental net over the area, searching for his familiar presence. There. She sensed him, along with a group of beings whose signature in the Force was different from anything she had ever encountered. She opened her eyes and took off running through the trees, knowing there was no time to waste. Ben needed her.

She slowed as she approached the area, unclipping her saber from her belt. From behind a tree, she observed a ramshackle collection of structures: tents, cabins, and huts all surrounding a larger building in the center. It was constructed of smooth timbers, golden-red in hue, with a rounded roof. Slowly, she approached it, her gaze darting around for any sign of life. When no one appeared, she darted around the side of the cabin and found the door. She ignited her saber, took a deep breath, and attuned herself to the Force, then tore the door open. Sunlight flooded into the dark, smoky room, and every head turned in unison to look at her.

Every figure but one was hooded, and the bare-headed one held a blade in claw-like fingers, a blade resting at Ben's neck. Rey summoned the Force and pushed out, knocking them all back. She ran to Ben's side. The blade had drawn a thin line of blood on his jawline as the leader had been thrown back, but he seemed otherwise unhurt. His eyes met hers with a mixture of confusion and an emotion she could not name. Without a word, she deftly cut his wrists free, and then his ankles. He sat up slowly and then swayed as his face paled.

"What have they done to you?" she asked, her brows drawing together.

He shook his head, his eyes hollow, and said nothing. There was a sound almost of slithering, and Rey looked over to see the hooded figures crawling towards their leader, grabbing onto each other, seeming to draw strength from the contact.

"We have to go," she said, and summoned his lightsaber from the corner of the room. "Here." She shoved it into his unwilling grip and turned to face her opponents, who were rising to their feet, the leader at the center. The female's silver eyes caught the light from the open door as she stared Rey down. Rey raised her lightsaber. "Go," she murmured to Ben. "I'll follow." When he didn't move, she took her eyes off of the female just long enough to shove him off of the slab of wood. He stumbled when his feet hit the ground, and she steadied him.

That split second was ample opportunity for the female. She lunged forward, her followers fanning out behind her, and slashed at Rey's saber hand with her knife. Rey sensed her movement and turned just in time to parry, her saber slicing straight through the stone knife and sending the blade clattering to the wood floor.

Ben still stood behind her, wavering. "Go, I can handle this!" Rey growled at him, giving him one last shove towards the door, but not taking her eyes off the female. The female glanced after Ben's retreating back as he staggered to the door and out into the forest, and then her gaze returned to Rey, eyes narrowing.

"You had no right to free him," she hissed. "We were about to deliver justice to the galaxy."

Rey scowled. "I had every right. You don't know the man you almost killed."

A hiss arose from the entire group, but only the female spoke. "Perhaps it is you who do not know him."

Rey raised her saber, preparing to fight them all off, but then they each raised a hand in unison and she found herself rooted to the floor, totally paralyzed. Just like what Kylo had done to her in the forest. Her breaths quickened as she struggled to move. Slowly, they circled around her, the female directly in front of Rey's gaze.

"You see, we are not helpless against you," the female said. "The strength of many is greater than the strength of few."

Rey's eyes darted around the circle at each of her captors, panic rising in her throat. They shared some kind of bond in the Force, it was the only explanation. And only through understanding it could she defeat them. So as they tightened the circle around her, she closed her eyes and breathed, reaching out for the threads of the Force that wove them together. She sensed it flowing through each of them like sand blowing in the wind, binding them together. Each individual was weak in the Force, but they had found some way of combining their power and using it as one, focusing it through the female, who seemed to glow in her mind's eye.

Gathering the Force into her grip, Rey focused into a ball of energy in her chest, then pushed it out, targeting one of the figures on her right. She opened her eyes in time to see him fall to the ground, and his absence in the circle was enough for her to break their grip. She lashed out with her saber, cutting two of them down in quick succession. Thud-thud, they hit the wooden floor. The rest scuttled away from her to gather around their leader, the one she had knocked down crawling to them.

The female's teeth were bared now, her silver eyes narrowed to slits. They all raised a hand again, but Rey was ready this time, raising her own hand to block them. Their power met in the middle, thrumming and crackling with energy. Rey pushed harder, allowing the Force to flow through her freely. The female scowled in concentration, and her breath grew heavier. Both let out a feral scream, and then they were blown back as the energy exploded between them, tearing the roof to pieces and sending beams raining down on them.

Rey raised herself a little and looked around to see the walls wavering. She got to her knees and pushed out with the Force to protect herself just as they collapsed inward. Slowly, she lowered her hands to her sides. The air was filled with dust, but she could just make out the crumpled pile of bodies and cloaks across the room from her, nearly buried in rubble. All was entirely silent, and none of them moved. She sat back on her heels, becoming aware of her parched lips and dust-coated arms. Her entire body ached.

"Rey!" It was Ben, calling her from behind. She whipped around to see him stumbling through the wreckage of the cabin, his limbs weak and uncoordinated. She stood to meet him, and they fell into each other's arms, slipping to the ground.

"I'm so glad you're all right," he murmured into her hair. "I thought when it blew up…"

"I know," she replied, nodding against his chest. They sat like that for quite some time as their heartbeats and breathing slowed, just drinking in the other's solid presence. Ben felt whole with her there, as though part of him had been missing and had just returned to him. He held her closer, realizing he never wanted to be parted from her again.

It was Rey who leaned away first. She tilted her chin to look up into his face and said, "We should go. I've no idea if they're actually dead, and there might be more of them." He nodded, and they stood. His vision went black for a moment, and he swayed. Rey steadied him, and he found himself looking into her concerned face.

"Are you all right, Ben?"

He nodded, avoiding her eyes. "Let's go." They made their way out of the rubble, Rey's arm around Ben's waist to help support him.

The trek back to the X-wing took much longer than she expected. It had been a blur when she'd come that way before, and now she had Ben, who was not all right no matter what he said. At last, they made it, and Ben collapsed against its side, totally spent. Rey eyed him with concern before climbing into the cockpit, powering up the communication systems. She calibrated the signal to reach as far as possible and put the headset on.

"Base One, this is Red Five, calling for aid." She waited for an answer, then repeated herself. "Base One, this is Red Five, calling for aid."

A cough of static, then an answering voice. "Red Five, we hear you. Securing transmission." There was silence for a few moments, then the voice crackled through again. "Transmission secured. What is your location?"

"Dantooine," Rey replied. "I crashed the X-wing and we need emergency evacuation services."

"Command will be notified immediately."

"I'll transmit our exact location to you."

"Standing by."

Frowning in concentration, she stared at the control panel. She'd never actually had to do this before.

"Here, let me help." Ben hoisted himself over the side of the cockpit and reached over her to press a few buttons. "There."

"Location received. A rescue mission has been dispatched. Base One, over and out."

There was a click, and silence fell again. Ben slumped to sit against the ship again, and Rey climbed out after him.

"Suppose there's nothing left to do but wait," she said, sliding down the ship's side to sit beside him, knees to her chest. He nodded, eyes closed, face pale and drawn. She eyed him for a moment before reaching over to him. "Come here," she said, stretching her legs out and gently pushing his head onto her lap. He didn't resist, his legs curling into his chest as he lay down.

She brushed his tangled hair from his face and rested her hand on his shoulder, gently rubbing it with her thumb. They sat like that in silence for so long she thought he'd fallen asleep. Then she felt his shoulders shake, heard a gulp in his throat. Then a tear splashed onto her leg. She put her arms around his broad shoulders and rested her forehead on his shoulder, wishing more than anything to be able to free him of his pain.

His sobs grew more pronounced until they shook his entire body. His face was turned away from her, but she could read his pain in his tightly curled body, his shaking shoulders, the broken sound of his sobs. She squeezed him a little to remind him he wasn't alone.

At last, the tears slowed, and his body began to relax. Then he did sleep, his weight sinking into the ground. Rey sighed and leaned back against the ship, absentmindedly rubbing his upper arm and wondering what had happened to shake him so deeply, what that cult of Force-users had done to him. She glared out into the darkening forest, daring one of them to come fight her so she'd have the pleasure of slicing it in two. But all was silent except for the rustle of the breeze through the undergrowth. She found her eyelids growing heavy, her head bobbing.

Ben's body twitched violently then, startling her awake. She bent over him to see if he'd awoken, but his eyes were still shut. She could see his eyeballs wandering restlessly under his lids, his brows drawing together. He jerked again, a breath stuttering through his lips. A nightmare. He cried out then, a broken, piteous sound. Tears pressed at her eyes. No one should have to go through this much pain. Then she took a calming breath and closed her eyes, reaching out for Ben's consciousness. She sensed its unrest, even saw glimpses of what he saw. Kylo Ren. A burning building, one she had seen in vision. She heard screams that chilled her to the bone. Then, pulling back a little to gather herself, she reached into his mind and breathed her presence into it, smoothing the nightmare away. When she returned to awareness of her body, he was still again, his breathing deep and heavy. Please come soon, she thought as she looked up to the sky, rosy with the setting sun's rays.

To her surprise, she heard an answering voice. Rey? Is that you?

Finn?

Rey!

You can hear me?

Yes!

She couldn't help but smile. Are you almost here?

Yes, we're just about to leave hyperspace. We had to take a roundabout route, remnants of the First Order have started to band together and we had to stay out of their way.

There was a pause. Then, Thank you, Finn.

Of course. His tone was warm. Another silence. Then, Is Ben with you?

Yes, she replied. He's the reason I came back here. He was captured by a group of Force-sensitive fanatics, they really did a number on him.

She could sense his discomfort with Ben's presence, but all he said was, We'll be there soon.

Rey could hardly believe it. She had sensed the Force in Finn before, but they had never connected through it like that. Perhaps he was strong enough in the Force to be trained as a Jedi, once she and Ben had sorted all that out. She sighed when she thought of that. She had lost nearly an entire day of guidance from those who had gone before in rescuing Ben. Impatiently, she wished he'd just come with her to Tatooine in the first place. Then none of this would have happened.

She heard the rushing and growling of a ship's engines overhead, and she looked up to see the Falcon descending towards them. It landed with a bump in a clearing a short distance off. Carefully, she extricated herself out from under Ben, her pants damp with his sweat and tears, and jogged over to where Poe and Finn were descending the gangway.

The three embraced tightly, and when she pulled away, she said, "I didn't expect to see you here, General Dameron."

He chuckled. "You think I'd let Finn have all the glory of rescuing you? Not a chance."

She smiled and shook her head, then quickly sobered. "We need to get out of here. Ben's not well, and there's an entire cult of Force-users out for his blood."

They followed her over to where Ben lay. Rey knelt next to him and gently took his shoulder to wake him. "Ben," she said.

He drew a sharp breath in as his head came off of the grass, his eyes blinking open slowly.

"Come on, it's time to go." She looked up at Poe and Finn. "Will you help me get him up?"

Ben hardly seemed aware of their grip on his arms as they helped him to his feet. His eyes were unfocused, staring into nothing. The four of them made their way back into the Falcon, Ben hardly able to lift his feet high enough to step onto the gangway. They laid him in a cot and Rey pulled a thin, scratchy blanket over him before following the other two to the cockpit.

"What happened, Rey?" Poe asked as soon as she joined them.

So she told them. How she had communed on Tatooine with Master Yoda, how Ben had appeared to her and then suddenly vanished, how she had sped to Dantooine, how his pain had bled over to her, how she'd crashed the X-wing, how she'd fought off the cult and rescued Ben. They listened intently, Poe's hands effortlessly making preparations to take off. They rose from Dantooine's surface and entered hyperspace as she finished her tale.

Finn glanced back at Ben's still form. "He doesn't look hurt."

Rey shook her head. "I don't think what they did to him was physical. He's hardly spoken since I found him, and he's almost completely withdrawn. Whatever they did to him, it affected his mind more than anything else."

"I think we all know what that's like," Poe said grimly, and the three fell silent, each absorbed in thought.


	11. Friends

Ben lay in the cot, his eyes open but unfocused, his arms folded against his chest, his chin tucked down. He was entirely lost in memories, hardly aware of the murmur of voices from the cockpit, his mind dragging him through his years as Kylo Ren, all the atrocities he had committed. Burning the temple, torturing rebels, murdering innocent people, murdering his own father, terrorizing entire planets, destroying entire systems. The memories piled on, thick and fast, until he could hardly breathe. You should have died long ago. He shook his head, trying to displace the merciless, unrelenting thought, but it caught like a burr. Darkness seemed to seep into the edges of his vision as the agony of all he had done bore down on him. It's hopeless. I can't come back. Not after all I've done. Everyone wants me dead. Maybe they're right. Maybe it's better that way, before I can do more damage.

Not everyone. The voice seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once, light and clear as a bell, piercing him to the very center. And he saw Rey. Her tearstained face begging to be told she wasn't alone. The tips of their fingers brushing. Her eyes, pleading and commanding at the same time; piercing and intense; and absolutely, unshakably certain. He saw Snoke's distorted maw open in shock as the lightsaber sliced straight through him, Rey's hand reaching up to snatch it, looking up at him with awe, with respect, with trust. He saw her limp form, ghostly white against the blue-black stone, saw his own hand, torn and bloody, resting on her stomach, breathing life back into her. And her eyes: confusion, then surprise, then understanding. Her smile: bright and unexpected in that dark place. Her lips: warm and soft and real.

She had seen the good in him, had believed in it, when no one else had. She had trusted Ben Solo when Kylo Ren was all anyone else saw. When he was with her, he felt complete, strong, capable, powerful in a way the dark side had never offered. It suddenly hit him how heavy the burden placed on her shoulders was, how much she expected of herself. She wants me by her side. She had said as much before, but it hadn't reached him until that moment. He had asked her so often to join him, had been so fixated on her need to let go of what held her back, that he had never noticed her asking him to join her. Every time she called him Ben, every time she stared him down, every time she put her trust in him, she was asking him to join her. And in the end, he had. He had chosen her over everything else.

He could not fail her now. He would not.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat up, wincing as his head pounded and his vision darkened. He took a deep breath. In, out. I will not fail her.

Rey sat down heavily against the wall of the cockpit, elbows resting on her knees. They were safe for the moment, but she sensed that many more challenges lay ahead. She sighed, her eyes gazing off into the middle distance.

After several long moments of silence, Poe spoke. "What's on your mind?"

Startled from her thoughts, she glanced up at him. He was looking back at her steadily. For a moment, she considered brushing him off, saying she was fine, but the look in his face was so open and earnest. She sighed and rubbed her face with her hands. "There's so much to be done. There's an entire galaxy that needs rebuilding and protecting, and there are so few of us. Defeating the First Order is one thing, but coping with the aftermath is entirely another. Somehow I've got to start the Jedi all over again, almost from nothing, when Luke Skywalker himself couldn't even do it." Her shoulders slumped as she stared into her lap. "I never wanted this." Her voice was quiet, almost inaudible over the sound of the engine. "I didn't choose to be who I am or who I've become, it was all chosen for me. It's always been about what everyone else needed me to be, and now they've all gone and left me here to sort out their problems on my own." Tears began to choke her voice. "I thought I'd at least have Ben, but he's not at all well, and I can't get him to tell me what happened on Dantooine."

She stopped, her jaw working as she considered her next words. Poe and Finn waited patiently for her to speak. At last, she did. "I'm afraid he's losing himself to the dark side again." The words came out in a rush, as though they tasted foul on her tongue. She had hardly voiced that fear to herself, much less to anyone else, but it had gnawed at her since she'd left him on Dantooine. She had tried so hard to believe in him, to put her absolute trust in Ben Solo's ability to overcome Kylo Ren, but her faith was quickly crumbling. She felt so lost, so alone, so helpless.

"Hey," Poe said, coming to crouch in front of her. "I don't know what's going to happen to him, but I can promise that you'll always have us. We'll stick with you through whatever happens."

He glanced meaningfully over at Finn, who said, "We've got your back."

She glanced between them, her eyes glassy with unshed tears. "Thank you," she said, though her tone and expression was still drenched in hopelessness. Poe opened his mouth to say more, but was cut off.

"Incoming!" Finn screamed, scrambling to get out of his seat and to the gunner's port. He had one leg over the arm when the first blast hit. Rey, halfway to her feet, was shoved into the wall by the impact; Poe had already leapt nimbly into the pilot's seat and was quickly taking control; Finn nearly fell on his face, one foot still hooked on the chair. Rey helped get him up, and they rushed off to the gunner's ports, her heading up the ladder and him heading down.

Ben felt the impact from his seat on the bed, and his head jerked up. He got to his feet and went straight to the cockpit.

"What is it?" he asked Poe as he bent to enter.

"Star Destroyers," Poe replied tersely, his hands busy adjusting the concentration of the shields. "What remains of the First Order fleet."

Ben climbed into the copilot's seat to get a better view as another blast shook the ship. Three Star Destroyers loomed over them, but only one was at a good enough angle to fire on them.

"Dammit," Poe muttered under his breath. "I knew I should have taken another ship, this one's too recognizable." His brows lowered in concentration, he slammed the mouthpiece down on his headset. "Ready?"

Ben could just hear their crackling responses. "Ready!"

Another laser slammed into the ship.

Poe shoved the joystick forward, sending the Falcon into a steep dive and just dodging another series of blasts. Rey got in a few solid shots at the closest Star Destroyer, but there was no way the Falcon could beat all three before she got blown to pieces herself. Poe knew their only chance was to run. He leveled the ship, aiming at the empty space between two of the Star Destroyers, and prepared to make the jump to hyperspace.

"Wait," Ben said.

"You got any better ideas?" Poe snapped.

"I know those Star Destroyers like the back of my hand," Ben replied, his eyes fixed on the nearest one. "They have a lot of firepower, but they're slow."

"Thank you for stating the obvious," Poe replied. "Anything else you'd like to contribute before we make the jump?"

Another blast shook the ship, and Poe placed his fingers on the button.

"If we weave and dodge between them, their blasts will hit each other," Ben said. "Their cannons can do a lot more damage than ours can."

Poe and Ben locked eyes across the center console as Poe considered. Then another impact made his decision, and he nodded.

"Fine, we'll try it your way." Ben put the copilot's headset on as Poe rolled the ship to a diagonal and threaded between the two Destroyers on the left, coming out clean the other side. Laser blasts flashed past them as they pulled through, and they could feel the turbine exhaust buffeting them.

Poe held to his course, straight ahead, hoping the Destroyers would make their ponderously slow turn to follow. "Rey, Finn, are they following?" he shouted.

"Can't tell yet," Rey responded, and then a moment later, Finn's voice came through. "Yes! The first one is starting to turn!"

The Falcon, by then, was out of the range of the Destroyers' cannons, and Poe decided it was high time to make another pass. He pulled the Falcon into a tight turn, the corner of his mouth lifting at how well the old ship handled. The first ship's nose was lifted, turned about a quarter of the way towards them, the others not far behind.

He pushed the joystick forward gently, nudging the nose of the Falcon down, making his second pass just under the belly of the middle Destroyer, nimbly weaving in and out of the laser blasts. Rey took aim and gunned down one of the cannon towers. Her cheer nearly deafened Poe. As he exited the shadow of the Destroyer, he yanked the joystick back, bringing the nose up until they were flying vertically. He twisted as he leveled out, giving Finn a chance to take out two of the towers, which he made quick work of.

Poe skimmed just above the surface of the Destroyer, intentionally pulling the throttle back to slow their progress. As he had hoped, the cannons of the other two Destroyers swiveled to fire on them. Just as the laser blasts came too close, he shoved the throttle forward, and the blasts struck where he had just been, raking the topside of the Destroyer.

Poe cheered and pumped his fist, grinning from ear to ear as they shot clear of the Destroyer. Ben couldn't help but smile a little as their eyes met for a split second. A few half-hearted laser blasts shot past them, but not a single one hit.

Ben flipped his mouthpiece down. "As we make this next pass, aim for the spaces just outside of the engine exhaust ports, they're weaker there. Rey, aim for the one on the right, Finn, take the one on the left."

"Ben!" Rey's voice came through over the headset. He could almost hear the smile in it. Finn's head snapped up when he heard his name coming from that voice instead of his number.

Poe's eyes darted over to Ben, and he saw a secret, fleeting smile cross his face. Filing that away for later, he swung the Falcon around to make another pass. The center Destroyer's nose was dipping, veering towards its neighbor on the right. The one on the left, however, was nearly halfway turned around, its attention fixed on the Falcon.

The moment they came in range, Rey and Finn let loose on the Destroyers, firing burst after burst of lasers into the Destroyers. Nearly every shot hit its target, exploding against the Destroyers' skin. One exhaust port on the right-hand ship flickered and died, followed by one on the other ship and then another on the first ship. Both Rey and Finn let out a whoop as they flew over the Destroyers.

Poe turned the Falcon hard to the right and made a loop around the middle Destroyer. A few shots from the other two Destroyers zoomed around them and made contact with the middle Destroyer, but for the most part, they seemed engaged in getting their engines back up and running. The center Star Destroyer's nose was still dropping, the ship veering dangerously close to its neighbor, which was also losing altitude. Poe drove the Falcon straight towards the narrowing gap between the two, his brows furrowed in concentration. They pulled through with inches to spare just as the nose came crashing into the flat upper side of the ship. The explosion pushed them forward, and Poe cheered. Even Ben cracked another smile. The Falcon swept around to measure up the third Destroyer, but it had gotten its engine back and quickly disappeared into hyperspace.

Poe sat back in his seat, his forehead glistening with sweat, and loosened his grip on the controls. He and Ben looked over at each other, expressions still guarded, but with a newfound respect.

"Now we better get out of here before anyone else catches up to us," Poe said, fingers nimbly adjusting the calculations for a jump to hyperspace. The starlight stretched and blurred, and before they knew it, they were headed for the rebel base, free and clear.

Rey and Finn burst into the cockpit, just as sweaty as Poe and grinning from ear to ear.

"We did it!" Rey cheered.

Poe tore his headset off and leapt up to hug the other two, leaving Ben to stand awkwardly beside his seat.

"Did you see me take those cannons out?" Finn said.

"Yes, that was amazing!" Poe replied, clapping him on the arm.

"When you slipped right between the two Destroyers, I wasn't sure we were going to make it, but you pulled us through!" Rey said.

"I know!" Poe cried, grinning so hard his cheeks hurt.

They all hugged again, and then seemed to become aware of Ben's presence again.

Poe took a step over to him and said, "Well you should know that the whole maneuver was his idea. I was about to turn tail and run."

Ben ducked his head, shrugging his shoulders.

Rey beamed at him. "Well done, Ben." She glanced at both Poe and Finn as if to say, "See? I told you so."

He looked up at her, and she could see in his eyes the boy he had once been, vulnerable and shy and so, so hungry for praise. The corner of his mouth lifted a little. Finn's eyes were fixed on Ben, his expression still guarded, but his mind clearly processing what they had just gone through together, how Ben had stepped up, how he had called him by his name. When he looked at him, he couldn't help but see Kylo Ren, but tiny fragments of Ben Solo were starting to show through.

Poe eyed Ben with a small smile on his face. For the first time, he could see just how much Ben cared for Rey. He could see an inkling of their profound connection. He did not understand Ben yet, but he could give him a shot.

Ben could sense their shift in attitude towards him, and it surprised him and even made him a little uncomfortable. He was so used to people hating and fearing him, it was all he'd ever known. But now he stood among equals and even friends, perhaps, for the first time in his entire life. It was entirely new to him, and a flutter of fear pulsed in his chest.

The ship snapped out of hyperspace, revealing the jewel-toned blue and green planet below. Poe sat down again and guided them down to the surface.

The flutter in Ben's chest only grew as he contemplated facing the rebels again, and he could feel his hands grow clammy. Rey stepped forward and took his hand in hers, squeezing it lightly. He felt her strength flow into him, and he took a deep breath. Everything's going to be all right.


	12. The Rebel Base

As the Falcon descended to the forest floor, a small group of rebels gathered, Rose, Zorii, and Beaumont among them. Poe stepped off the ship first, followed by Finn, then Rey, and Ben last of all. Guarded glances at Ben were mingled with heartfelt welcomes for Poe, Finn, and Rey. Rose stepped towards Finn and opened her mouth to say something, but Beaumont ushered Poe and Finn away before she could speak, leaving Rey to shake hands and greet people.

It struck Ben how deeply Rey's absence had been felt, even though she'd only left a few days ago. They welcomed her as a savior, a returning champion, a harbinger of hope. They encircled her as she pulled her lightsaber out, and they admired the yellow blade. Ben hung back in the shadows of the Falcon, his arms crossed. Rey glanced back at him, but made no motion to welcome him into the circle. He felt a pang. Even now, he was not one of them. And he could not blame them one bit.

Beaumont returned with Poe and Finn, all three looking serious. The rebels grew silent as their generals approached.

"Thank you for your continued efforts on the resistance's behalf," Poe said. "I know many of you have families and homes to return to, and I am grateful for your willingness to stay. Unfortunately, this fight is far from over." He looked to Finn to continue.

"On the way here, we were ambushed by three Star Destroyers," Finn said, his voice grave. "We may have taken out the Final Order, but the remains of the First Order are still out there."

Murmurs were heard among the rebels, and many of the upturned faces grew solemn.

"There is still much to do before the galaxy is at peace," Poe said. "We ask for your continued patience as we discuss how to move forward. I promise, we'll get you home."

Some cheers among the crowd as Ben looked out over them. They trusted Poe implicitly. They knew he could lead them to victory, that he could deliver on his promises. The rebels dispersed, returning to their daily tasks of keeping the base up and running. Rose stood still among the moving crowd, her eyes fixed on Finn, but when he didn't seem to notice her, her eyes dropped and she turned to follow the rest.

Rey walked straight to Poe and Finn, and the three turned to go to the makeshift council room that was little more than a pavilion of clay, wood, and canvas. Ben's heart sank as he watched them go. Everyone else had something to keep themselves occupied with except for him. He stood there awkwardly, his big fram feeling ungainly. He felt almost like a crecheling told to sit in the corner away from his playmates until his behavior improved.

Absentmindedly, he fingered the lightsaber at his side, his eyes following Rey as she walked off between Poe and Finn. Then his grip tightened on the hilt, and his brows furrowed. They're never going to accept me if I don't assert myself. His first instinct was to go after Rey, but he knew it was probably better not to push things with Poe and Finn. So he walked towards the part of the camp where all the others had gone. As he approached, a few heads turned, and then a few more. He was met by guarded and suspicious glances. Consciously, he released his lightsaber, realizing he probably looked threatening, and stopped where he stood. He looked around at their hostile faces, loneliness rising in his chest and threatening to choke him.

This was a stupid idea. I should just go back and wait for Rey. I don't know why I came over here. Most of the faces turned back to what they were doing, one by one, and the intense scrutiny eased. As he looked around, feeling more out of place than ever, his gaze caught on two women talking in hushed voices off to his right, their eyes still on him. One was tall and slender, fair-skinned with brown hair. She held a large, elongated helmet under her arm and was dressed practically but elegantly. If he had to guess, he would have pegged her for a bounty hunter. The other was clearly a mechanic of some sort, dressed in white worker's shirt and beige trousers. Short and stocky, her skin was darker than the other's, and her hair was short and black.

His eyes caught theirs, and the taller woman regarded him evenly, one eyebrow raised as though in a challenge. The other woman regarded him with hostility just as all the others did. Still, there was something about them. As the last few faces turned back to their work, he hesitantly moved towards the pair. Neither moved as he approached, their conversation falling silent.

"Hi, I'm, uh, Ben Solo," he said awkwardly, the words stumbling out of his dry mouth.

The taller woman-who had brown eyes lined with kohl, he could now see-smirked a little. The other woman's expression did not change.

"What are your names?" Ben asked as soon as it became clear they weren't going to speak.

The taller woman's amusement increased, and a glimmer of curiosity appeared in her eyes. "My name is Zorii," she said finally.

His eyes fell to the shorter, who was still glaring at him. "Rose," she said tersely.

"It's, uh, nice to meet you," he offered.

"Wish we could say the same," Rose replied acidly.

He sighed and ducked his head, pained by the remark.

"So, Ben Solo," Zorii said, weighing down his name as though with stones before dropping them into a river. "What brings you here? A chance to spy on us? A shot at redemption? Or perhaps a pair of pretty eyes?" She smirked again on the last question and tilted her head.

His jaw clenched at her pointed words, his fists tightening as the old anger flared in his chest. The urge to ignite his saber and wreck the whole camp flashed through him, hot and searing. His fingers grasped the hilt. And then he felt a new shape beneath his fingers. The blade was no longer red, it was white. So he forced himself to inhale, to exhale, to lower his shoulders, to relax his jaw. Deliberately, he let his arms fall to his sides. Zorii eyed him, intrigued but guarded.

"I'm here to help," he said at last, their gazes boring into each other.

"I must say, Ben Solo," she replied, his name lighter on her lips this time. "You are much different from what I expected."

He was caught off guard by that, his eyes widening slightly in surprise.

"Does it matter?" Rose said. "We still can't trust him."

Zorii didn't take her eyes off of Ben. "Who said anything about trust?"

Ben sighed. "I swear, I'm not here to hurt you. I want to help. I want to do what I can to fix everything I've done."

Rose snorted. "You can't fix anything."

He bowed his head, brows furrowed. "I know," he replied. "But I have to try."

Zorii cocked her head. "You actually might mean that," she said. He looked up to meet her eyes again. "So what changed? Why are you suddenly on our side?"

"The timing's awfully convenient," Rose spat.

"I know how it looks," he said, sighing. "But it's not what you think. I'm not here to spy on you."

"Then why are you here, Ben Solo?"

"I'm here because…" His words trailed off as he thought. "Because I want to help heal the galaxy. I want to make it better. That's what I thought I was doing before, but Rey helped me see how wrong I was."

"Ah, so you are here for a pair of pretty eyes," Zorii said archly, but there was a softness to her tone that told him she was teasing.

Rose's eyes were still narrowed, however. "You don't fool me," she said, then turned on her heel and walked off.

"I hope you're expecting that kind of response from most everyone," Zorii said as they both watched her go. "That's going to be pretty typical."

"I know," he replied.

"So whatever your reason for being here, it had better be really something, because otherwise you're never going to make it." She winked at him before heading off after Rose.

He stood there, triumph and disappointment mixing in his chest, puzzling over just who this Zorii was and what she really thought of him. At least she hadn't rejected him outright like Rose had. He might have even almost won her over. A wave of exhaustion washed over him as his eyes traveled over the rebels one more time and he realized how much of an uphill battle all of this was going to be. He would have to prove himself over and over and over again before any of them would even think about trusting him. He knew some of them might never trust him. In that moment, a large part of him wanted nothing more than to give up, to slip away and to hide in some forgotten corner of the galaxy before he could do any more harm.

But then he squared his shoulders. He couldn't turn back now. He had chosen this path. He had chosen to come here. No matter what it took, he would prove himself.


	13. The Next Move

Rey, Poe, and Finn gathered around the central holotable in the command pavillion, looking down on the map of Ajan Kloss and the surrounding systems.

"So what's our next move?" Finn asked.

"I can't stay, I'm afraid," Rey said. "I need to return to Tatooine to learn what I can from the Jedi who have gone before."

Poe sighed "I thought you'd say that," he said. "Is there any way you can do that here?"

Rey furrowed her brows. "I was told specifically to go to Tatooine," she said.

Poe nodded. "I understand if it's not an option," he replied. "But...we need you here. Finn and I can't keep their morale up on our own. Having you here today really lifted their spirits. You inspire them, Rey."

"I think you're selling yourself short, Poe," she said. "I've seen how they look up to you. They would follow you anywhere."

Poe shook his head adamantly. "It's not the same," he replied. "Rey, we can find you somewhere off in the forest, build you a little hut where you can live and meditate and commune with whoever you need to. No one would ever bother you. But just knowing you were there, seeing you every now and again...it would do more for them than I can tell you."

The burden of her dual roles weighing down on her, Rey searched Poe's eyes.

"I understand if you say no," Poe said after a few moments. "Just...give it some thought. That's all I'm asking."

Rey dropped her eyes to the holotable and leaned on it, deep in thought. She could not escape her responsibilities. She couldn't even completely confine herself to the role of rebuilding the Jedi Order. Already, she realized that she had become more than that. She sighed heavily, feeling her shoulders slump under the weight of the galaxy's expectations. For a fleeting moment, she wanted nothing more than to run off to some desolate, isolated system until the galaxy had forgotten her.

"Are you okay?" Poe asked, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

She took a deep breath in and squared her shoulders. "Yes." She nodded emphatically. I may not have chosen this, but I cannot back down now. She looked to Finn, then to Poe.

"You don't have to do this alone," Finn said, his dark brown eyes warm and sincere.

She nodded again, slower this time, and took another deep breath. The pressure on her chest eased a little. In that moment, she realized how much she had missed them. Their support and companionship had come to mean everything to her. She looked over at Poe, and her eyes rested on him.

"I'll stay," she said.

Poe grinned and pulled her into a hug, slapping her on the back. Finn hugged her from behind and squeezed her tight. A smile broke out over her face. For a moment, anything felt possible.

Ben stood there, alone, feeling as though the whole camp's eyes rested on him. He looked around for a friendly face, desperation rising in his chest, and his eyes caught on the man he had seen pull Poe and Finn aside earlier. He sat at a desk inside a small pavilion a short distance from the others, surrounded by ancient-looking tomes and loose papers curling at the edges. Stiffly, Ben approached him. Beaumont glanced up as he drew near, his eyes widening slightly as he realized who Ben was.

"My name is, uh, Ben Solo.," Ben began, just as awkwardly as last time.

Beaumont rose slowly. "Beaumont Kin, intelligence division," he replied, reaching across his desk to shake Ben's hand. Ben took it cautiously and found Beaumont's handshake to be firm and sincere.

"Is there anything I can help with?" Ben asked.

"If you wouldn't mind, I'd love to interview you," Beaumont replied, a twinkle appearing in his eye. "I'm a historian by trade, and I've always been fascinated by the Sith and the Jedi. I imagine you'd have some incredible insights to share."

Taken aback, Ben replied hesitantly, "I can do that."

"Great," Beaumont replied, and pulled a stool out from under the desk for Ben to sit on. Returning to his side of the desk, he shifted a massive tome over a few inches to uncover a recorder. Ben sat on the stool, his knees approaching his chest. He shifted uncomfortably as Beaumont readied the recorder.

Beaumont set the recorder down on the desk between them, then leaned forward, his elbows on the desk.

"If you wouldn't mind stating your name for the record," he said. "It helps keep things organized."

"Ben Solo," Ben said, a little too loudly.

"And any other names you're known by."

Ben's jaw hardened, and he eyed Beaumont with hostility, but there was nothing in his expression to indicate any malice.

"Kylo Ren," he said at last, the name bitter on his lips.

"Now if you'll state your year of birth, home planet, and any family members."

"5 ABY, Chandrila. My father was Han Solo. My mother was Leia Organa. And my uncle was Luke Skywalker. My father didn't have any family, but my grandparents on my mother's side were Padme Amidala and Anakin Skywalker."

"An impressive lineage," Beaumont mused. "You are, of course, very strong in the Force."

"Yes," Ben replied.

"What was it like growing up? There must have been very high expectations on you."

Ben's brows drew together. His childhood was not something he liked to think about, much less something he liked to talk about. He couldn't even remember most of it. The overwhelming sense he drew from what he did remember was one of agonizing loneliness, abandonment, and anger. "Yes," he said again, his jaw tense. The silence stretched out, and Beaumont only looked at him, mildly but expectantly.

Ben sighed. "My parents were gone most of the time," he began, each word clipped and hard. "And they handed me off to my uncle as soon as they possibly could. They wanted me to become the next Luke Skywalker, but they couldn't be bothered to do any of the work themselves."

"How old were you when you began training with your uncle?"

"Ten."

"What was training like?"

Ben balked again, deeply uncomfortable with where these questions were heading. "It was great until he got scared of how strong I was in the Force and tried to kill me," he said, resentment roiling underneath every word.

"I was more asking about the logistical side of training," Beaumont replied kindly. "But I can see you're uncomfortable talking about this. If you'd like, we can postpone this for another time."

Suddenly aware of his clenched fists and his rock-hard shoulders, Ben nodded. He stood abruptly, knocking the stool over. The familiar rage boiled up in his chest, and his fists tightened as he nearly smashed the stool into Beaumont's desk. With a great effort, he restrained himself and instead righted the stool, his large frame trembling with anger.

As he stalked off, he sensed Rey reaching out to him.

Is everything all right? I can sense your anger from here.

He stopped dead in his tracks as some of the tension melted from his shoulders. Everything's fine. I didn't hurt anyone.

What happened?

I just got angry, that's all. It was nothing.

He could sense her probing. If you're certain, she said at last before withdrawing herself.

Alone once more, Ben continued on his way, painfully aware of all the eyes that followed him. He returned to the Falcon and stepped inside, the cool interior a relief after the humid warmth of outside. Gripping the back of the pilot's seat, he forced a few trembling breaths in and out. He had to keep his anger in check if he was to have any chance of gaining their trust, he knew that very well. He couldn't just fly off the handle like he had as Kylo Ren. Anger was encouraged and embraced on the Dark Side, but not here. He knew he had changed, he knew he wasn't the man he had been before, but he also knew no one would believe him until he could prove it. So after one last deep breath, he stood straight and made his way back outside.

Rey, Poe, and Finn were now in full strategy mode, poring over the holotable.

"Our biggest weakness right now is that they know exactly where we are, but we have no idea where they are," Poe said. "They could come from anywhere."

"So we'll need a new base," Finn said. "Otherwise we're sitting ducks."

"Exactly," Poe replied.

Silence fell as they each studied the map, brows furrowed, searching for another unexpected corner of the galaxy they could relocate to.

"Where would be the last place the First Order would expect us to go?" Finn mused.

"To be quite honest," Rey said. "I'm not certain it matters. They've been greatly weakened by the loss of their Supreme Leader and most of their fleet. We're not dealing with an organized force here. These are only isolated outposts of people who refuse to give up on a lost cause. It might make the most sense to split our fighters up and assign each a target. We can destroy them before they have a chance to organize themselves."

The corner of Poe's mouth lifted in a half-smile. "I like that," he said.

"First we have to find our targets," Finn replied. "This attack has to be carefully coordinated. We can't leave any loose ends."

Rey smiled. "I think I know just the man to ask."


	14. Mygeeto

Ben entered the pavilion, his eyes flicking back and forth between the three of them, still standing around the holotable. Rey offered a small smile, and the other two nodded in acknowledgement of his arrival. Silently, he approached them and took up a place between Rey and Finn.

"What do you need?" he asked.

"How familiar are you with where First Order troops and Destroyers are stationed in the galaxy?" Poe asked, leaning forward on the holotable and looking Ben full in the face.

Ben's eyes flicked over to Rey before returning to Poe's steady gaze. "Are you planning to attack them first?" he asked.

"Yes," Finn replied, exchanging a glance with Poe. "Before they get to us."

Ben dropped his gaze to the holotable, and Rey could see his jaw working. A tense silence fell, broken only by the distant sound of voices from the rest of the camp. At last, Ben looked up again, at each of them in turn.

"I'll help," he said.

"And then there's an outpost here on Demir," Ben said, pointing to its approximate location on the planet's surface. "Those are all the major First Order presences I know of."

Poe nodded slowly, his gaze fixed on the map, now zoomed out to show each of the red dots Ben had marked. There were so many of them.

"Do you have any idea which ones of those might still be active and which ones have been deserted or destroyed?" Finn asked.

"A few of them, like this one on Zakuul, faced a lot of resistance from the local people. They can probably take out those bases on their own," Ben replied, using his finger to snuff out a few red dots. "A few others in less essential locations were led by generals with questionable loyalties, so they've probably been deserted by now." He snuffed out a few more.

"That leaves…" Rey counted under her breath. "Twenty-seven." She looked at Ben with irritation.

He shrugged apologetically. "We were bent on taking over the galaxy, what did you expect?"

"Honestly, I expected there to be more," Poe replied. "You didn't have nearly as strong of a hold on the galaxy as you led us to believe."

Ben nodded. "Even with our massive forces, it was hard to keep a hold on the systems we captured. Some rebelled and left when I replaced Snoke as Supreme Leader. Others secretly began working against the First Order, like Hux. And Snoke always had a skill for propaganda and manipulation."

"Still, we have to narrow it down further," Rey replied. "We have to prioritize our targets. There's no way we could strike all twenty-seven targets at once. Our forces would be spread too thin."

"Can you pick, say, four locations that pose the greatest threat to us?" Poe asked.

Ben leaned over the map again, studying it closely with a frown. "Here, here," he began, pointing. "Here...and here." Selecting each planet, Poe separated them from the rest of the map so that they hovered, rotating gently, at eye level. Mygeeto, Ord Mantell, Taris, and Yavin. "Those are the most heavily fortified bases in our area," he said. "If I had to make a guess, I would say we would be most likely to get attacked by one of them."

"Fantastic," Poe replied. "Finn, I want you to select four team leaders to lead the attacks. Ben, you go with him and brief each one on everything you know about these bases." Finn nodded and turned to leave the pavilion, Ben following closely behind. "Rey, take Zorii and run recon on these bases while we get organized."

With a crisp nod, Rey jogged out of the pavilion to find Zorii. Alone, Poe eyed the planets rotating placidly in front of him. A wave of exhaustion swept over him, and he bowed his head, rubbing his forehead with one hand. I just wish this battle was over and we could all go home.

Ben and Finn walked back to the camp in silence, Finn's expression set in a forbidding frown. As they entered the shadowy main hangar where most of the rebels had gathered, Finn stopped and studied them thoughtfully. A team of engineers hurried past, led by Rose, who pointedly ignored Finn.

"Poe's a given," Finn muttered under his breath. "So is Rey." His eyes continued to study the rebels as he walked slowly around the perimeter of the hangar. So many of the Resistance's strongest leaders had died. Then a blonde woman studying a green holomap and surrounded by three or four of her subordinates caught his eye. Koo Millham. Ground Logistics Division. The team she led was fiercely loyal to her, and he had no doubt she was capable of commanding an attack on a First Order base.

He continued to survey the room, searching for the final team leader. A tall, sandy-haired man-Salaka Kuchimba-caught his eye, and then a shorter, brunette woman: Cova Nell. Both were dedicated fighters who had proven themselves in their respective roles, but it was hard to know if they had what it took to lead. Frowning, he turned and exited the hangar, heading back to the pavilion to consult Poe.

Rey found Zorii sitting against the rocky hangar wall, cleaning her guns, her helmet resting on the grass next to her. Zorii looked up as she approached, eyeing her steadily. "What is it?" she asked.

Rey knelt by her and lowered her voice to avoid being overheard. "Poe's organizing an attack on several First Order bases," she said. "He wants us to run reconnaissance while he and Finn prep the teams."

"Hm," Zorii replied, smirking. "I'm surprised General Dameron trusts me enough for such an important mission." Holstering her gun and hefting her helmet, she got to her feet. "Guess we better get going, then."

The pair headed into the hangar. Rey selected an X-wing in honor of Luke's old one, now wrecked on Dantooine, and located an astromech to accompany her, an R6. Zorii went for a neighboring Y-wing. Both climbed into their cockpits and donned their helmets, giving each other a final nod before igniting their engines and taking off.

Finn re-entered the pavilion, Ben awkwardly trailing behind him, feeling more superfluous than ever. He stood back as Finn approached his co-general and spoke with him in hushed tones.

"Well why don't you lead the last one?" he heard Poe ask.

Finn was totally taken aback by that question. "There's no way," he said. "I don't lead, not like that."

Poe arched a brow. "Says one of the generals of the Resistance."

"That only works because I've got you with me," Finn replied, panic audible in his voice. "I'm not cut out for this."

Poe placed a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eyes. "Give yourself a little more credit, Finn," he said. "You can do this, I know you can."

Finn's brow furrowed again as he nodded, visibly swallowing his fear. His gaze returned to Poe's, and his chin lifted. "I'll make team assignments then."

"Let's start with Mygeeto and work our way around to Yavin," Zorii heard Rey say through her headset.

"Works for me," she replied.

Even from space, Rey could tell Mygeeto was cold. The surface was obscured by swirling clouds, and she could only imagine how miserable the climate was underneath.

"Those clouds are going to make it hard to find anything from up here," Zorii said.

"If we can get below the cloud cover without being seen, we might be able to find something," Rey replied.

"It's risky, but I think we can manage it. How detailed of a map do we have of the surface?"

There was a moment of silence broken only by static as they both pulled the map up on their holocomputers.

"Let's land on the far side of that hill from the base," Rey said. "Do you see it?"

"Yes, I see it. If we're lucky, it's cloudy enough down there that we'll be covered on our way down."

"Only one way to find out," Rey said, and began her descent through the atmosphere, Zorii right behind her.

They dropped into the clouds, and everything went grey. They pulled their holocomputers forward to see where they were going as a wave of turbulence shook their ships. Furrowing her brow in concentration, Rey tilted the nose down as they approached the hill, fighting the wind that buffeted her. A gust of wind struck the underside of Zorii's right wing and pushed her ship off-course. She righted it as the left wing snapped through a series of tree branches.

They slowed as the hill appeared through the fog and began descending, still fighting the wind. Their ships hit the frozen ground with a bump, one right after the other. Rey sat in her cockpit for a moment, listening to the wind whistle through her landing gear as she took a deep breath. She looked over to see Zorii stepping out of her cockpit, and followed suit. They came face-to-face between the two ships, and nodded. Rey turned and set off up the hill, and Zorii put her helmet on and followed.

By the time they crested the hill, goosebumps peppered Rey's arms and legs, and her teeth were chattering, but she gritted them tight. They took the last few feet of the hill on their stomachs, and Zorii pulled out a pair of electrobinoculars.

A single snowflake drifted from the sky and landed on Rey's nose. Her eyes crossed as she watched it melt. She looked up to see more snowflakes drifting down, eyes wide.

"Take a look," Zorii said, nudging her arm with the electrobinoculars. Rey accepted them absentmindedly, her eyes still fixed on the sky. Zorii glanced over at her, followed her gaze up, then said, "Haven't you seen snow before?"

"I grew up on a desert planet," Rey said. "I think the only other time I've seen it was on Kijimi."

A soft smile crossed Zorii's lips. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," Rey replied. "But also cold."

They laughed quietly, their breath puffing from their mouths. Then Rey raised the electrobinoculars to her eyes and lowered her head to look through them. The smile slowly faded from her mouth.

"It looks...abandoned," she said.

"Exactly," Zorii responded.

Rey scanned over the complex. She saw walls and huts and pavilions, but it was all silent and empty. "Either they're all dead..."

"Doubtful considering the peaceful nature of the native population."

"They all left..."

"Also doubtful."

"Or it's a trap." Rey let the electrobinoculars fall from her eyes, and the two women gazed at the complex with furrowed brows.

"Finn and Poe need to know about this," Zorii said.

"Shouldn't we get a closer look?" Rey replied, not taking her eyes off the complex. "We don't even know for certain if they're still here."

"And if they are, we'd be walking right into their trap."

Rey turned to look at Zorii. "Then so be it. We can handle ourselves against a bunch of stormtroopers."

"Don't move," a tinny voice said from behind. Rey felt the cold tip of a blaster rifle touch the center of her back. Her eyes locked with Zorii's and she saw a rifle aimed at her head. "Get up slowly and keep your hands above your head."

They obeyed, both taking a look around. There were the two stormtroopers directly behind them, and then another one standing between them. Beyond that, they were surrounded by stormtroopers, each with a weapon aimed at them. There was even a tank with its cannon poking through the bare branches.

"We know who you are, Jedi," the leader said.

Zorii and Rey glanced at each other. The leader gestured with his blaster, and one of the troopers from the outer circle stepped forward, followed by another. The first went to Rey and reached for the saber at her hip as the other went to Zorii to take her blasters. The two women exchanged another glance and allowed the stormtroopers to take their weapons. Rey gritted her teeth as she watched the stormtrooper handle her saber.

"Take your helmet off." Zorii removed it slowly and handed it over to the stormtrooper with her blasters. The leader gestured again with his blaster, and two more stepped forward, taking binders from their hips. The circle of troopers closed around them. "Turn around and put your hands behind your backs," the leader said.

They obeyed, Rey's eyes fixed on Zorii's. The steps of the stormtroopers crunched on the frozen mud. Rey's heart thudded in her chest. Her body thrummed with the Force. Just as she felt the cold metal of the binders brush her wrist, she launched herself into the air, somersaulting over the trooper behind her and throwing him to the ground. Zorii elbowed her stormtrooper in the gut and nailed a roundhouse kick in the same spot, knocking him down. The rest of the stormtroopers opened fire, and Zorii hunched underneath the body of the stormtrooper.

Rey stretched out her hands, and her saber slipped from the belt of the stormtrooper and slipped into her grip as Zorii's blasters clattered to the ground beside her. Rey ignited her saber and twirled it around, deflecting blaster bolts and nailing one trooper in the chest, sending him flying.

Zorii snatched up her blasters and started firing on the troopers, taking out three within her first few shots. Rey maneuvered herself to stand by Zorii to protect her from the blaster bolts. She heard the cannon swivel to follow her, and she glanced over, staring down the barrel of it.

"No! We need her alive!" the leader shouted.

Rey's eyes darted back over to him. A blaster bolt struck her in the thigh, and she fell to one knee. She felt Zorii's back against hers, nudging her to stand. She raised her lightsaber again, then lifted her hand and shoved the nearest three stormtroopers away. She rose to her feet, weight on one foot.

Zorii cried out as a blaster bolt struck her in the shoulder.

"We have to get out of here," Rey said over her shoulder, her lightsaber whizzing around her head.

"Agreed," Zorii said through gritted teeth.

Rey turned and used the Force to push the stormtroopers nearest to Zorii off their feet.

"Go!" she shouted.

Zorii rose to her feet and sprinted to the nearest tree, shoving one blaster in her belt as she grabbed the lowest branch and pulled herself up into the tree. Rey followed her, limping as she deflected blaster bolts.

With all the fire concentrated on her, Rey could feel her focus wavering, her arm aching. One shot snuck through and hit her in the left shoulder, knocking her back. Zorii came to a crouch in her tree and started firing again. Rey could feel her breath rasping in and out of her throat, her injuries on fire. She pushed forward into the stormtroopers as they continued to close in on them. One stormtrooper, then another, fell under Zorii's fire, but there were still so many. She somersaulted into the midst of them and swept her lightsaber in a circle, cutting three down at once. She landed in a crouch, but her leg gave out, and she fell to her elbow.

"Surrender or she dies," she heard from behind her. She turned her head to see the blasters aimed at Zorii. They locked eyes, both breathing hard. After a moment, Rey sheathed her saber and sat up, raising her hands above her head. Zorii dropped out of the tree and let her blasters fall. Two stormtroopers immediately grabbed her by the upper arms and cuffed her wrists. Rey stood up slowly, keeping her arms above her head.

"Stay down," the leader commanded, turning his blaster on her. Rey returned to kneeling, keeping her weight on her good knee. She glared at him as he approached her.

He took the lightsaber from her hand and clipped it to his belt. Then he gripped his blaster, pulled it back, and smashed the butt of it into her temple.


	15. Jailbreak

Ben bolted upright in his cot, saber flying to his hand and igniting. Chest heaving, he looked around, but saw nothing; just the dark and eerie interior of the Falcon. Slowly, he lowered his saber and sheathed it. Setting it on the bed next to his thigh, he rubbed his face and sighed. It was just another nightmare, he told himself. Go back to sleep.

He laid back down. He shifted his pillow. He poked his foot out from underneath the blanket. He twisted around to lie on his side. He pulled his knees to his chest. He stared at the ceiling, studying each little panel and knob. But nothing helped his mind relax. So he closed his eyes and reached out to Rey.

And was met with a foggy silence.

Furrowing his brow, he reached into it.

Nothing.

And then a flash of a memory: A stormtrooper standing over him, bringing the butt of a blaster crashing into his skull.

His eyes flew open. She was in trouble.

Throwing the blanket off, he swung his legs over the side of the cot and stood. Half-jogging, he made his way out of the Falcon, his bare feet padding down the gangway and out onto the grass. Then, breaking out into a full sprint, he went straight for the command pavilion, throwing the front flap open, then the curtain that partitioned Poe and Finn's sleeping area off from the rest of the pavilion.

Both bolted upright as he entered, Poe whipping out his blaster to aim it at Ben's head.

"It's me," Ben said, raising his hands up.

Poe lowered his blaster and rubbed his eyes. "What is it?"

"Rey's in trouble," Ben said, letting his hands fall and taking a step forward.

"What?" Finn leapt to his feet. "What happened?"

"I don't know for sure," Ben replied. "All I know is that she's been captured by stormtroopers."

Poe got out of bed and brushed past Ben to go to the holotable. Ben turned to follow, Finn right behind him.

"Let's see where their trackers put them last," Poe muttered as he powered it up. Ben and Finn came to stand on either side of him. A map of Mygeeto pulled up, with a blue, pulsing dot identifying their location. All three stared at it intently in silence.

"We have to get them out of there," Finn said to Poe.

Poe shook his head. "We can't compromise the mission by dividing our forces between a rescue mission and an attack. And going to rescue them would take away the element of surprise."

"We can't just leave them there," Finn said through gritted teeth.

"The stormtroopers won't kill them as long as they still think we might come for them," Poe replied. "We still have time."

"No. We don't," Ben said. "I refuse to leave her there to suffer at the hands of the men I used to command."

"He's right," Finn said. "We don't know what they'll do to them in the meantime."

"I know the risks," Poe said, glaring at each of them. "I know what they might do to them. But the greater good of the galaxy comes first before any one individual."

"Rey is the greater good of the galaxy," Ben shot back, standing straight. "Without her, there is no hope. The galaxy believes in her, they trust her. Rey can heal the galaxy in ways no one else can. We. Cannot. Leave. Her." With each word, he drew closer to Poe, staring him down.

Poe sighed wearily, rubbing his face. "I can't endanger our people on an impossible rescue mission," he said. "If they were able to capture Rey, I can't imagine any of us have much of a chance against them. It's better just to take the base out all at once and find them after."

"I can do it," Ben said, his gaze fixed on Poe. "I can rescue them."

Poe's eyes narrowed as he studied Ben, and he finally nodded. "Do it." Ben's expression eased, and he nodded in response. "But make sure you get them out before we attack," Poe said. "We won't wait."

"I understand," Ben said, then turned and left the pavilion. He headed to the main hangar, stepping into its cool, cavernous interior. The shock of cold stone underneath his feet reminded himself that he was nowhere near ready to head out on a rescue mission. Clenching his fists, he turned around and ran back to the Falcon.

: :

Under a heavy guard, Rey and Zorii were taken inside the compound, dragging Rey unceremoniously as Zorii followed behind. Zorii's narrowed eyes took in the spartan surroundings, searching for a way out, a chance to escape. But she knew well that there were too many troopers for her to take on alone, especially without her blasters. Her fists clenched at her helplessness, and her eyes fell to Rey. Wake up.

The stormtroopers dragging Rey stopped in front of them, then entered a holding cell. Zorii caught a glimpse of chains hanging from the ceiling as she passed by. The cell block seemed to be fairly primitive, as most of the base did, but she didn't doubt its effectiveness. As they left Rey behind, she realized that she was on her own to escape. Her brows furrowed as she thought.

The stormtroopers on either side of her roughly pulled at her upper arms, and they continued down the hallway, turned left, and entered another bank of cells. They stopped her outside the very last cell in the row, and one of them released her arm, turned his back, and punched in the passcode, the door quietly sliding open.

Now's my chance. Zorii wrenched her arm out of the other trooper's grip and kicked his legs out from under him before he could reach for his blaster. The other trooper whirled around, and she landed a solid kick in his chest, knocking him back into the cell. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him start to rise and reach for his blaster, as she turned back to the first trooper. She grabbed him by the upper arm and hauled him up, her arms around his chest, just as the other trooper shot, hitting his comrade in the shoulder. She snatched his blaster off his belt and threw it to the ground beside her, then, grunting with the effort, she pushed him into the holding cell to join the other, their armor clattering as they crashed into each other and hit the floor. As they began untangling themselves, she slammed a button and the door slid shut.

Retrieving the blaster from the floor, she brushed a few wisps of hair from her face and glanced warily around. No sign of any stormtroopers. She jogged down the rows of cells as silently as she could, wincing every time her boots tapped the smooth floor. She slowed as the approached the corner and carefully peered around it, blaster at the ready. Three stormtroopers stood with their backs to her. She glanced the other way and saw nothing. Keeping her eyes on the stormtroopers, she silently crept down the hall to her left instead of the way she'd come initially. They never even turned their heads.

She turned the next corner and was confronted by a stormtrooper looking straight at her. He grabbed for his blaster, but she was quicker, nailing him in the chest. His body smacked against the wall as it was thrown back, and she heard a stormtrooper say, from much too nearby, "FS-3971, are you all right?"

Heart racing, she sprinted to the body and tore off his helmet, jamming it onto her head. Making an attempt at lowering her voice, she replied, "Yes, I just tripped. Everything's fine."

This statement was met by a chorus of laughter. The same voice responded, "Try to be more careful next time," still chuckling.

"Will do," she replied, then yanked the helmet off again, setting it carefully down beside the fallen stormtrooper. Her eyes found his face. He was handsome, olive-skinned with black, curly hair. It struck her that he didn't look too different from Poe. Just younger. Then she pushed the thought away. Spending time with all these Resistance fighters is making me soft.

: :

Ben took the controls of an X-wing, settling into its cockpit. As he fingered the controls, a memory flashed through his mind: his tiny hands guided by Luke's larger ones, one flesh, the other gloved; his body nestled in his uncle's lap as Luke taught him how to fly his X-wing. A small smile crossed Ben's lips. He'd completely forgotten about that. Perhaps because he'd chosen to.

He shrugged the memory off and strapped himself in with one hand, programming his destination into the navicomputer with the other. The X-wing lifted off the ground, its landing gear retracting, and he pushed the throttle forward, sailing out of the hangar and into the night sky.

: :

Zorii stood up from where she had crouched by the body, pondering her options. To her left were the three stormtroopers she had evaded earlier. To her right were an unknown number of stormtroopers potentially headed her way.

Acting on her first instinct, she went back the way she had come. She peeked around the corner to find that one of the stormtroopers had left, leaving only two. And one had seen her.

"Hey!" he shouted, and his companion whirled around to face her.

She shot the one who had shouted, but the second one stepped into a doorway just before she could get him.

"A prisoner has escaped, I need backup." She heard him say.

She knew she couldn't wait around for any more stormtroopers to show up, so she tore one of her boots off and threw it against the opposite wall. He poked his head around the corner, and she blasted him twice just to be sure. She heard his body crumple against the wall She limp-sprinted across the hall, snatched her boot, and yanked it back onto her foot clumsily, blaster still in hand.

Then she took off down the hall, knowing she had to get as far away from the dead stormtroopers as possible. I better make it out of this alive, or I'm coming for you, Poe Dameron.

: :

Ben's hands clenched and unclenched on the controls, wishing his ship could go faster. There was still a barely perceptible ache in his temple from where that stormtrooper had hit her. He reached out. Still nothing. Sighing and jiggling his knee, he checked the navicomputer. 0.98 parsecs had never felt so far.

: :

She skidded to a halt when she heard the sound of marching feet ahead of her. Looking around desperately, she saw only closed doors and bare hallway. Then she looked up to see a loose panel in the ceiling. As the footsteps drew closer, she stuffed the blaster in her belt and jumped, her fingers just catching the lip at the top of the wall. Pulling herself up, she braced her feet against the wall and reached for the panel, her fingers straining to push it aside. Her thumping heart matched pace with the stormtroopers' march. One hand gripped the gap, then the other, and she swung herself up into it, her breath heaving.

It was a tight space, full of electrical cords and air ducts, but she could just fit. She squatted inside, placing her feet carefully on the metal beams that held the ceiling panels up. The footsteps halted suddenly, and she sensed that they had entered the hall. One set of footsteps continued more slowly. She held her breath, heart in her mouth, as she watched him pass below her. Gingerly, she slid the panel back over the hole before he could look up to see her.

It was utterly dark. She heard his footsteps continue down the hall, halt, then start to come towards her again. They halted again, almost exactly underneath her. That was a rookie move, sliding the panel back. Now he's going to notice something's different. Blood rushed through her ears as she waited for him to sound the alarm. She gripped the handle of her blaster, ready to leap down and give them hell.

Her heart stopped as she heard him speak. "No sign of her in cell block A," Then the march started up again, moving right under her. As their footsteps receded, she let out a long, slow breath. She slid the panel open again and glanced down into the hallway to make sure it was clear. Seeing no one, she lightly dropped down into the passageway, taking her blaster into her grip once more, and raced on down the hall.

: :

At last, Mygeeto appeared within eyesight, swirling clouds and all. Hastily, he made his descent to the surface, landing much less gently than he intended to. Throwing open the cockpit, he leapt out into a blustery gale. Gritting his teeth and wishing he'd brought something warm to wear, he looked around for signs of Rey. Between the trees to his left, he just caught a glimpse of something white. He headed for it, folding his arms over his chest against the cold. There it was. The X-wing she had taken. And right next to it, a Y-wing. He hurried towards them. He touched a hand to the nose of the X-wing. Cold. As was the Y-wing. It had been some time since they had landed. He looked around for the place he had seen in Rey's memory, but everything looked totally different in the dark. Where are you, Rey?

: :

Zorii peeked around one last corner, and there, finally, was the way out. A dense, metal door, it was guarded by two stormtroopers, both of whom were at attention, but neither of whom had noticed her yet. She brought her blaster around the corner, aimed, and hit one in the chest. He slumped against the door, and as the other one grabbed his blaster, she shot it out of his hand, then hit him in the thigh, bringing him down.

She sprinted over to the door, knowing it wouldn't be long before more stormtroopers showed up. As she had expected, it required a passcode to exit. She grabbed the injured trooper by the arm and shoved him against the door.

"Tell me the code to get out and I let you live," she murmured in his ear, pressing her blaster to the gap between his backplate and shoulder plate.

She felt him struggle against her, so she jerked her knee into his injured leg. Groaning in pain, he said, "Six-eight-two-four-seven." She let him fall to the ground, punched in the code, then, as it opened, she turned back to him.

"I lied," she said, and shot him point-blank in the head.

She headed out into the whistling wind, folding her arms tight across her chest as her teeth began to chatter. Rain droplets whipped across her face. She knew Poe wouldn't have approved of her killing the trooper like that, but she couldn't have him telling all the troopers where she was. She still hadn't escaped the planet, after all.

She broke into a run, scaling the hill they had captured her and Rey on and hurtling down the other side, hardly able to see a thing.

: :

Ben started up the nearest hill to get a better look at his surroundings. He heard footsteps, gasping breath; sensed something hurtling through the dark towards him, then something small smacked into him from the side, and they both hit the ground, legs tangled.

Gasping for air and blinking to clear his vision, Ben snatched his lightsaber from his belt and ignited it as he felt the other person's legs kicking against him to free itself. He sensed more than saw a blaster bolt fired at him, and he deflected it with his saber. Then the kicking stopped.

"Ben Solo?"

He knew that voice.

He sat up and held his saber horizontally to illuminate their face.

"Zorii?"

They separated their legs and stood.

"Is Rey with you?"

She shook her head. "She was pretty heavily guarded. I figured I had more of a chance in getting her out if I went back for someone from the Resistance. I had no idea you were on your way. How did you know to come for us?"

"The Force," he replied, in no mood to explain the full extent of his connection with Rey.

"Of course," she replied, her tone dry.

"Where is she?"

"Inside." She pointed back up the hill towards the compound.

"Show me."

They walked up the hill, crouching to a crawl as they reached the top. Zorii pointed out the building the cell blocks were in and her best approximate position for where Rey was inside that building.

"They're still on high alert because I just escaped," she said. "So it might be best if we wait for a few hours until things calm down."

"We don't have time for that," Ben replied. "Dameron's going ahead with the attacks whether I get Rey out or not. We have to get in there now."

"It'll mean a lot of dead stormtroopers," she said, glancing over at him.

"All the better," he replied, his brows drawing together.

"You literally brainwashed these people into serving you," she said, fully turning to face him. "And now you're going to kill them for obeying?"

He turned on her, his eyes fierce. "Don't ever mention my past to me again."

Her gaze locked with his, undaunted. "I don't have to," she replied. "It tortures you enough as it is."


	16. Long Live the Supreme Leader

Zorii and Ben crept to the entrance to the cell blocks, keeping to the shadows as much as possible. They encountered no stormtroopers, though the door had shut since Zorii had left only minutes before. When they reached the door, Zorii went to the keypad and punched in the number she had used to leave, only to be met with a red flash and a negative beep.

"Either they changed it since I walked out or it's a different code to get in," she said, putting her hand on her hip and huffing. "You wanna give it a try?"

Ben was already raising his hand. She watched, fascinated in spite of herself, as he closed his eyes, took a breath, and then shoved his arm forward. The door wrenched from its frame and tumbled back into the hallway, clanging and screeching.

"Well done, now everyone knows we're here."

Ben shot her a black look before stepping over the threshold.

"Wait!" she whispered. He turned, clearly irritated, and she said. "You go get Rey, I'll go for our weapons."

He nodded, then turned to go.

"Rey's that way," she added, pointing to his right. "First cell."

Turning his back on her, he jogged down the hallway, summoning his saber into his hand. Zorii bounced her blaster in her hand and looked around uneasily. It was too quiet. They had definitely walked into a trap. It only remained to be seen if they could walk back out again.

Ben peeked around the corner just outside Rey's cell, expecting to see stormtroopers guarding it, but there was no one. It had to be a trap, but at that point, he didn't care anymore. Rey needed him, and that was all that mattered. He swiftly stepped across the hallway to her cell door, briefly frowned at the keypad to his left, then ignited his lightsaber and stabbed it into the door. He shoved it up and over, then down, then over again to make a shaky circular opening he could only hope was large enough for him. As he cut through the last bit, he caught it with the Force and pulled it out towards him, laying it on the ground beside him.

He stepped through the hole and looked up to see her, suspended from the ceiling by her arms, her feet, chained to the floor, dangling. Her chin rested on her chest, mouth gagged, eyes shut, and there was a burnt hole in her trousers where a blaster had hit her. His jaw clenched, he clipped his saber to his belt and went to her. Holding her body against his with one arm, he reached up and snapped the chains holding her arms, then the ones holding her legs. Gently, he laid her on the floor, her upper body supported in his lap.

He loosed the gag, then placed his hand on her leg near where she'd been shot. Closing his eyes, he allowed his energy to flow into her, knitting her flesh closed until all that was left was the hole in her trousers. She stirred, and her eyelids flickered open.

"Ben?" she said groggily.

He smiled softly. "Hey,"

He helped her sit up, and she rubbed her face with one hand. "I think they must have drugged me or something," she said, her words slurred.

"Let's get you out of here," he said, getting to his feet. She leaned heavily on him as she stood, blinking hard and swaying a little.

"Wait," she said as he began to usher her out. "Zorii."

"She already got out," he said, placing his arm around her waist and looping her arm around his shoulders. "She's on her way to get your weapons."

Rey nodded, her head almost dropping to her chest again. "Good," she replied.

"Come on," he said, nudging her forward.

She shuffled forward, her head lolling a bit from side to side. He held onto her firmly, worry in his eyes. What did they give her?

As they passed through the hole, he gently pressed her head down with his free hand to make sure she cleared it. Her toes scuffed against the threshold, but she made it through.

"I feel awful," she murmured into his shoulder.

"Let's get you somewhere you can rest," he replied, squeezing her a bit.

Zorii rounded the corner at that moment, the stormtrooper's blaster discarded and her own blasters in their rightful places at her hips. Her helmet rested in the crook of her elbow, and Rey's lightsaber was clutched in her hand. She took one look at Rey and shoved the lightsaber in her belt.

"She's in no shape to be using that right now," she said. "Ready?"

Ben nodded, then said. "Can you take her? I'm guessing there are going to be a lot of stormtroopers waiting out there for us, and I want you to get her out."

She narrowed her eyes. "I'll do it, but then I'm coming back for you. You're not about to die on my watch, especially not at the hands of your former cronies. The irony of that is just too tragic." She smirked a little at him as she stepped to Rey's other side.

Rey's head lolled to look at Zorii as Ben shifted her weight onto her, and she smiled. "Zorii," she said. "How lovely to see you."

"What did they do to her?" Zorii asked, looking past Rey to Ben.

"I have no idea," he replied, his brows furrowing with concern as he looked at Rey. "The sooner we get her out of here, the better."

"Agreed."

Zorii shoved her helmet onto her head one-handed and took a blaster in hand. Ben in front, the three of them crept forward. Ben looked around the corner, then motioned them forward. Slowly but surely, they approached the corner past which lay the entrance. Ben looked around it, then snapped his head back. "There's at least sixty of them between us and the door," he whispered. "I'm going to get them out of the way, and then you take her and get her out of here as fast as you can."

Zorii nodded, her helmet totally obscuring her face.

Ben turned back to look around the corner, summoned his lightsaber to his hand, took a breath, and stepped out. Clumsily, Zorii inched forward to peek around the corner, nudging Rey's head back.

Ben approached the stormtroopers slowly, saber gripped tightly and the Force thrumming at his fingertips, waiting to see how they would respond. One by one, their heads turned to look at him, flashes of recognition and shock crossing their faces. He heard murmurs of "Supreme Leader," and he relaxed his hold on his saber.

"I see you have remained dedicated to our cause in my absence," he said, desperately hoping they would believe him, but painfully aware of the lack of conviction in his tone. "You will all be rewarded when the First Order is rebuilt."

The leader stepped forward and knelt on one knee. "Supreme Leader, we are honored by your visit."

"As you should be," Ben replied, his heart thumping in his chest. "Now, explain all this."

Standing, the leader glanced back at the gaping hole, then back at Ben. "We, uh, had a prisoner escape, Supreme Leader."

"Who?"

"We captured the girl, the one you were always after, along with one of her friends," he said. "The friend is the one who escaped."

"Then why aren't you out looking for her?" Ben shouted, reaching for the explosive heights his temper had reached as Kylo.

"She has returned to rescue the other, Supreme Leader," the trooper replied, bowing his head a little. "We set a trap for them."

"By waiting around for them to fall into your hands?" Ben roared. "Search the building! They will have found another way out by now!"

Nodding, the trooper gestured at his men, who scattered, breaking into their platoons, and march-jogged off, leaving two platoons to stand guard at the door. One platoon approached the hallway where Zorii and Rey hid, and Zorii shuffled backwards into the shadows, readying her blaster. I was a fool to trust him, he's betrayed us.

"Stop!" Ben's voice rang out. "There's no need to search that hallway, I just came that way."

"Yes, Supreme Leader," one trooper replied, and Zorii heard the footsteps stop and then move away from her. Letting her breath out, she adjusted her grip on Rey, who was growing heavier by the second. She glanced over at her and realized she was unconscious. Gently slapping her cheek to wake her, she thought, Hurry up.

"The rest of you, search the woods! I will guard this entrance myself."

"Yes, Supreme Leader," they said, and obediently headed out into the blustering wind.

Zorii inched forward again to look around the corner, and she saw Ben give a slight nod. Gripping Rey's wrists, she hoisted her onto her back, holding her there with one hand and brandishing her blaster with the other. Taking a steadying breath, she ran out into the open, Rey's dead weight pulling at her. As she stepped over the threshold, she raised her blaster, prepared to shoot her way out, but as the troopers turned to look, Ben raised his hand and sent them flying. Hefting Rey once more, she steeled her legs and jogged up the hill.

Ben watched them go, then turned his attention back to the stormtroopers, who were slowly getting to their feet.

"You let them escape!" he shouted at them, the old rage beginning to bubble up in his chest.

"Forgive us, Supreme Leader," one said as they approached him, heads bowed. "She caught us by surprise."

"Kneel!" They knelt.

He felt a vicious satisfaction at their subservience.

He pulled one closer using the Force until the trooper's helmet was within inches of his outstretched hand.

"Why did you choose to stay after the Final Order fell?" he spat out, probing the trooper's mind. He sensed his mind twisting and writhing to escape him, but he stabbed down into it mercilessly.

Flashes of memories splintered through his mind: a young child torn from his mother's arms, crying himself to sleep in bed, training to fight, putting his helmet on for the first time, his first kill, arriving on Mygeeto, laughing with his brother stormtroopers.

"I had...nowhere else to go," the trooper gasped.

Ben recoiled, his hand snapping back, and the trooper fell to the ground. His chest rose and fell with quick, shallow breaths, and then fury surged up in him, white hot and searing. He ignited his lightsaber and stabbed it into the trooper. The other troopers flinched away as he turned on them, tearing his lightsaber out of the dead body.

"Ben, come on!" Zorii shouted from the top of the hill.

HIs head snapped up as a blast of cold air from outside washed over him. He sheathed his saber and looked down, seeing the dead trooper and the others cowering at his feet. Then he heard marching feet from behind, and he whirled around to see the other troopers returning from his search. He looked back at Zorii, who waved her arm at him. With the last shred of his presence of mind, he growled, "I'll go after them myself," and ran off towards Zorii.

"What were you doing?" Zorii shouted as he approached her.

"Nothing," he replied, scowling.

Zorii had laid Rey against the landing gear of her X-wing, and Ben went straight to her, kneeling beside her. She was unconscious, but alive. "We need to get her out of here," he said.

"She can't fly her own ship, and neither of us have room for her," Zorii replied.

Ben looked down at Rey, brow furrowed. Then, without looking up, he said, "I'll stay with her. You get out of here, go back to the Resistance. When they come to attack, Rey and I will get out with them."

"I'll make sure they know," she said. "Keep her safe."

"I will," Ben said, locking eyes with Zorii.

Zorii turned and vaulted into the cockpit of her ship, powering it up. With one last nod at Ben, she took off, buffeting Ben and Rey with the exhaust. Ben's chest rose and fell rapidly, his stomach churning. What did I just do? He clenched his shaking hands and forced himself to focus. The stormtroopers would come after them eventually, and he had to make it look like they'd escaped.

He lifted Rey's body from the ground and laid her down a safe distance away at the foot of the hill. Then he turned to face the two X-wings and raised his arms. Taking a deep breath, he reached through the Force and seized the ships, hands shaking as he lifted them off the ground. His muscles strained with the effort, his breath huffing in and out. He pushed harder, raising them until they hovered above the trees, and sweat stung his eyes. Stepping forward, he drove the ships back inch by excruciating inch, by now gasping for air. His arms began to ache, his hands trembling as he pressed on.

The barren trees opened up into another clearing, even smaller than the one he had left Rey in, but just big enough for the two ships. Grunting with effort, he lowered his arms as slowly as his shaking muscles could manage, feeling the strain now in his back and shoulders. One touched the ground, then the other, the tips of the laser cannons waving slightly from the impact. His arms fell to his sides, trembling, and he rolled his shoulders, wincing.

He turned and walked back to where he could see Rey's white form curled up in the dirt. Shaking some feeling back into his arms, he bent and scooped her up, her weight feeling like nothing in comparison to the weight of the ships, but still, his muscles struggled to bear it. Her exposed skin was dotted in goosebumps, and her teeth chattered slightly. Glancing up at the grey pre-dawn sky thick with clouds, he knew he had to find a way of keeping her warm until the Resistance arrived.

He set her down gently, then popped open the cockpit of his X-wing. Hefting her limp body clumsily with one arm, he clambered into the cockpit. He sat, then arranged her body across his so they could both fit inside. Then he sealed the cockpit shut against the whistling wind. He heaved a sigh of relief. His legs and Rey's lay awkwardly in the space under the dashboard, and if he shifted at all, her head would bump into the glass, but at least they were safe.

He chafed and blew on his icy fingers to warm them before wrapping his arms around Rey. Semi-conscious, she shifted a little, worming herself deeper into his embrace. The tight pocket of tension in his chest released, and he smiled softly down at her peaceful face. Her presence completed him in some way he could not name, made him whole in ways he had never felt before meeting her. He buried his nose in her hair. I never want to be away from you again.


	17. A Debt to Repay

A rumbling sound from above drew Ben's eyes up. The shadows of rebellion ships crossed the grey pre-dawn sky, several small fighters-as well as the Falcon-escorting a larger bomber.

"Rey," he murmured, squeezing her arm gently.

Her brow furrowed, and without opening her eyes, she said, "What?"

"Look," he said.

Her eyes squinted open and landed on Ben, then trailed upwards to the sky. "That's a lot of ships," she said, her speech still slurred, then cocked her head. "I wonder what they're doing here."

"They're Resistance ships," Ben replied softly. "They're going to bomb the complex."

"Right, I knew that," Rey said, bobbing her head sagely.

"I know you did," Ben said, unable to keep a smile from his lips.

The fighters peeled away from the bomber as it approached the compound to circle at a safe distance. As the bomber lumbered over the compound, charges began dropping from its belly. Red-orange explosions lit the skeletal forest, casting long shadows over Ben and Rey, and thundering booms shook the ground as charge after charge landed.

The shock wave rippled over them, and Ben cradled Rey a little closer as their ship rocked. He expected to feel relieved, but he only felt hollow.

"Boom," Rey said softly, a vague smile on her face. He glanced down at her, a soft chuckle shaking his chest. She twisted her head to look up at him, eyes narrowed. "Are you laughing at me?"

He shrugged, still smirking. "You're funny when you're drugged up."

She narrowed her eyes further and brought a finger up to poke his nose. "You would be, too."

He laughed harder, playfully shoving her finger away and planting a kiss on her forehead. She scowled and wiped her forehead. "Ewwwww." Then they both looked up to see the Falcon descending slowly to the forest floor.

"Come on, let's go," Ben said, popping the cockpit open.

"No," Rey moaned, burying her face in his chest. "It's so cold."

"I know," he said, a soft smile brushing his lips. "But we need to get you back to base."

Her head popped up. "Are you coming with me?"

"No, I have to fly this back separately."

She huffed.

Ben slid his left arm under her knees to carry her out, but she smacked his hand away. "I can get out just fine on my own." She leaned out of the cockpit, hands gripping the edge to steady herself, and more or less flopped her legs over and fell to the ground. Smiling to himself, Ben followed her out as she got to her feet. She swayed unsteadily, and he tucked an arm around her waist to hold her up.

The two set off, Rey's gait shuffling and uneven next to Ben's solid, steady presence. Poe broke through the trees in front of them, breathless. "Did you see that?" he said, grinning.

Rey lifted her head to beam at Poe. "Yes, it was a very big boom," she said, nodding sagely.

Poe's brows furrowed. "Zorii said she'd gotten drugged, but I didn't realize it was that bad," he said. "Let's get her onboard the Falcon so we can get her back to base and she can sleep this off."

They stepped onto the ship, the atmosphere warm and inviting after the biting wind. The gangplank hissing shut behind them, Poe and Ben laid Rey down on the bunk, her eyelids already fluttering shut.

"I can fly one of the X-wings back, but what are we going to do about the other one?" Ben said as he shook out a blanket.

"Don't worry about them," Poe said. "I'll send someone to pick them up once we get back to base." He turned and headed for the cockpit, then tossed over his shoulder with a smirk, "Stay here and keep an eye on Rey, make sure she doesn't roll out of bed or anything."

Ben sat on the edge of the pad as Poe powered the ship up. His gaze traveled up and around the hallway, and he found himself wishing he could remember being with his father here, but there was nothing. It hit him suddenly that he'd barely known his parents, that he'd never had a chance to. He'd been so young when Luke had taken him away to be trained. He only had the vaguest memories of his parents when he'd been a child, blurry images of his mother's soft smile, of his father swinging him around in the air, of hugging them tight the day he left. And now he'd never know them. Not really. He suddenly felt homesick in a way he hadn't since he'd been a child, ostracized and isolated at the academy.

His eyes fell to Rey, her chest gently rising and falling and her eyes moving back and forth under her eyelids. She was so...good. So pure. His chest ached. He reached over and took her hand in his. Hers was cold and a little clammy, small and pale in his grasp. Still, he knew she was stronger than he'd ever be.

Once the ship was in hyperspace, Poe stood from his seat and went to check on Rey. Leaning against the wall, he asked, "How is she?"

Ben glanced up at him. "Fine," he replied. "Just sleeping."

Poe nodded, and both men fell silent for a moment, their eyes on Rey.

"Can I ask you something?" Poe said suddenly.

Surprised, Ben looked up at him. "Yes."

"Why did you decide to join the Resistance?" Poe asked, keeping his tone carefully neutral.

"Why do you ask?" Ben replied, his expression guarded.

"A general deserves to know who's fighting for him," Poe said simply, his gaze intense.

Ben nodded and considered for a moment. "I'm here to make things right."

"Right," Poe replied. "But what changed?"

Ben sighed. "It's complicated."

"We've got time."

Ben stood and folded his arms, turning away from Poe. He understood Poe's need to know why, but he still didn't really want to talk about it. The whole thing was too personal. And he barely knew Poe. Still, he knew he had to say something. "Someone saw more to me and believed I could change."

"Rey?"

Ben shrugged. "Yes."

Poe stepped towards Ben, and their eyes locked. "I need to know if this goes beyond her," he said. "If we lose her, do we lose you, too?" He watched the question hit home. Ben's eyes flickered, his gaze faltering for a moment. He hadn't considered that. But then he thought back to the moment he saw her lying there before Sidious' throne, the moment he thought she was dead, and he knew his answer.

"I have a debt to repay," he said, holding Poe's gaze. "No matter what happens to Rey, I can't back down from that."

Poe searched Ben's eyes and found only unbreakable resolve. He nodded, finally dropping his gaze. "I'm glad to hear that," he said, clapping Ben on the shoulder. "Because this battle isn't over yet." He turned and made his way back to the cockpit.

Ben stood there, arms hanging at his sides, not quite sure what to make of what had just passed. The interaction left him profoundly uncomfortable, but relieved as well. He knew Poe was on his side now, or at least had begun to be, and that mattered. And that clap on the shoulder...he couldn't remember ever experiencing that kind of camaraderie before.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rey shifting in her sleep, and he sat again, gently smoothing the hair from her face. She had believed in him when no one else had, she had seen the light when he had done everything he could to snuff it out, and she had brought him back from the brink. He owed her his life. A warmth rose in his chest, a profound sense of peace, and a soft smile touched his lips. "I love you, Rey," he whispered.


	18. Trooper's Justice

Poe brought the Falcon down for a gentle landing on the forest floor back on Ajan Kloss as one by one the ships assigned to the other missions returned. Ben lifted a still-sleeping Rey into his arms as Poe finished with the post-landing sequence and made his way back to them.

"Why don't you take her to the main pavilion? She can take my cot, she'll have plenty of privacy there to sleep this off."

Ben nodded and headed down the gangplank with her as it lowered. Poe powered the ship down and followed him out. The general mood was celebratory, with the returned pilots boasting left and right to those who had stayed behind of their success. Poe clapped a few shoulders and shouted words of encouragement along the way, but he didn't stop to celebrate with them. He held the pavilion flap open for Ben and then disappeared inside to wait for the mission leaders to show up for their debriefing. He was especially anxious to see Finn. They had exchanged words out there, and some things needed resolving.

Jannah was the first to arrive, followed by Koo Millham. The three of them circled around the holotable, where the four planets still hovered with red dots marking the First Order bases, standing at ease. Jannah avoided Poe's gaze, her eyes fixed on the slowly rotating hologram of Yavin, the planet she had been assigned to.

"Are we just waiting for General Finn?" Koo asked.

"Have either of you heard from him?" Poe asked.

Both women shook their heads, Jannah still not meeting his eyes. "Not since you gave the order," Koo replied.

Poe nodded, his brow furrowed, and the three of them fell silent. Just on the other side of the curtained wall, Ben laid Rey on Poe's cot as she sleepily murmured something about Chewy and a porg.

Then Finn burst into the pavilion, throwing the door flap open and striding in, chest heaving. Poe straightened as he came towards him, and the two men stared each other down across the holotable.

"Feel like explaining what happened out there?" Poe asked, breaking the tense silence. Ben's head snapped up as he tucked Rey into a wool blanket, and he listened with bated breath.

"Yeah, I do," Finn replied hotly. "I remembered what having a conscience is like. Something you clearly forgot."

Poe slammed his hands down on the edge of the holotable, making the images flicker. "No, you lost your nerve! When it came down to it, you couldn't do what had to be done!"

"What had to be done? You mean the slaughter of thousands of guys just like me?"

"They had a chance to leave the First Order, and they didn't," Poe shot back. "You left before it even fell, what stopped them from leaving after?"

"I got lucky! I had you! I had somewhere to go!" Finn roared. "They didn't. They don't know who their families were or if they're even still out there. They had nowhere to go."

"So what, that clears them of blame? That makes them innocent?"

"You have no idea what it's like!" Finn shouted, stepping into Poe's space. "The First Order brainwashed us, made us think they were right. You can't just walk away from that!"

"Yes, you can!" Poe shouted, coming around the table to stand toe-to-toe with Finn. "You did! Jannah did!" Jannah's gaze snapped up to Poe at that, her eyes dark.

"And you just murdered a thousand others who might have done the same if they'd had a chance!"

"They had their chance, and they didn't take it. We can't risk letting them live."

"Listen to yourself, Poe! These are people you're talking about, people just like you and me. They didn't choose the First Order, they're not like all those high-ranking officers. You can't punish them for something that isn't their fault!"

"Finn, we can't let the First Order survive, we have to kill it off, snuff it out wherever it is! That's the only way we get the galaxy back." Snoke's words echoed in Ben's ears: Let the past go. Kill it if you have to.

"That's exactly what the First Order said!" Finn roared, tears choking his voice. "They told us no mercy, no compassion. We killed every last person who stood in our way, no matter what. That is not what we stand for here." He stood there, his chest heaving with emotion, fighting back tears. Poe glared at him, his breath heaving in and out, expression flickering from confusion to fury to betrayal and back again, searching for something to say. On the other side of the curtain, Ben listened intently.

Jannah stepped to Finn's side, tears glittering in her eyes, but her face set. "Finn's right. We need a better solution." Poe's eyes flicked between the two of them, caught between his respect for his friends and his personal convictions.

"You didn't finish the mission either, did you?" he said to Jannah, his voice flat.

After a moment's hesitation, she shook her head slowly. "I ordered them not to drop the bombs. This war has led to enough deaths as it is."

Poe's eyes narrowed. "We just lost our best shot at finishing them off for good. Now they have a chance to strike back at us."

"Not if we give them the same chance you gave me," Finn replied, sensing that Poe was considering it. "I know those guys, I grew up with them, I trained with them. Most of them don't really care about the First Order, they just had nowhere else to go. If we give them somewhere to go, maybe help them find their families, the First Order would be finished just the same as if we killed them all off."

"Oh yeah? And where are we supposed to get the resources for that kind of crusade?" Poe demanded. "We have just enough for our people as it is. We can't support who knows how many ex-stormtroopers on top of that, and I doubt anyone would be lining up to donate to the cause."

"The First Order bases have plenty of supplies we can use," Finn said, his brain shifting into full planning mode. "The troopers that join us can bring what they need with them."

"And what about the ones that don't?"

"We put them on trial," Finn replied, his eyes alight with passion. "We lock them up until we have a working government in place, and then they stand trial for their crimes."

Poe frowned, still not totally won over, but Finn could tell he was thinking. "That could take years, Finn. And we would have to guard them and feed them in the meantime."

"The alternative is murder, Poe," Finn replied. "Pure and simple."

Poe shook his head. "I need some time to think about it," he said, rubbing his forehead. "Koo, Jannah, we'll finish the debriefing later. You're free to go." Jannah squeezed Finn's shoulder, offering him a supportive smile, before following Koo out of the pavilion. Ben moved away from the curtain to sit by Rey on the bed, feeling like he'd already listened for too long, though he couldn't help but hear the remainder of the conversation. Poe sunk onto a stool, dropping his head into his hands and rubbing his eyes. "Couldn't you have brought all this up before the mission?" he said through his hands.

Finn folded his arms. "I've followed you blindly ever since we met, Poe," he replied. "Even when I agreed to be your co-general, you were still the one in charge. I trusted you and your ability to lead the Resistance to victory." He sighed heavily. "But when I got there, to Ord Mantell, it occured to me for the first time that you might be wrong, that there might be a better way to handle things."

Poe's head rose from his hands, and he eyed Finn with a frown. "When I asked you to be my co-general, I wasn't asking for a blind follower," he said. "I wanted an equal."

"And that's what all this is," Finn replied, his voice intense. "Me stepping into my role as your equal."

Poe sighed. "I understand where you're coming from, Finn, but I just don't know how realistic it is. How would we even get in contact with the stormtroopers?"

"Some kind of broadcast," Finn replied. "I'm sure there are some First Order channels still in operation that we can hijack."

"And what are we supposed to say to them?" Poe asked.

"Tell them they have a place with us," Finn said. "That we can help them create a new life."

"That's a big promise to make," Poe said, his gaze heavy.

Finn knelt down in front of Poe to look him in the face, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We have to try, Poe."

Poe placed his hand over Finn's and squeezed it. "You're a good man, Finn, and I know you really want to help them." He sighed again, rubbing his temple. "We'll do the best we can. As long as you agree to head up this logistical nightmare of an operation," he said with a spark of humor.

Finn's face broke out into a grin, and he pulled Poe into an embrace. "Thank you, Poe."

Poe couldn't help but smile as he hugged him back. "Don't thank me yet."

On the other side of the curtain, Ben mulled over Finn's words. He had never been a part of stormtrooper recruitment or training, but from what he knew of the process, what Finn said was true. And it certainly didn't surprise him to hear that most of the troopers felt no particular loyalty to the Order; he had often sensed as much himself.

His head snapped up as Poe and Finn came through the flap.

"How is she?" Finn asked, his brow furrowed in concern. "Zorii told us what happened."

Ben glanced down at Rey's face, still peaceful, and said, "She'll be fine once she has a chance to sleep it off."

"Thank you for getting her out," Finn said. "She means a lot to all of us."

Uncomfortable with the gratitude, Ben just ducked his head in acknowledgement and changed the subject. "I heard you're planning to offer the stormtroopers an out."

Poe nodded, glancing over at Finn and putting an arm around his shoulders. "Thanks to this guy here."

"I was thinking," Finn said. "Our message might be most effective coming from you. Would you be willing to do the broadcast?"

Taken aback, Ben said, "I can if you're sure."

"I'm sure," Finn replied. "Jannah or I could do it, but I think it'll work best if you do."

Ben nodded gravely. "I would be honored to."


	19. FN-2187

Rey jolted awake with a snort, her eyes squinting open. She raised herself on one elbow to look around, head still swimming a little, but otherwise feeling fairly normal. It was dark, too dark to see much, but the gentle flapping of the tent door told her she was in the main pavilion. Which meant she was lying in Poe's bed. She could hear gentle snoring from across the room, what sounded like two sets of it.

Whipping the blanket off of her, she swung her legs over the side of the cot and stood, swaying a little as the blood rushed from her head. She crept towards the snoring to investigate, the dim moonlight filtering through the tent wall behind her just enough to make out Poe and Finn's sleeping forms, both crammed into Finn's cot. She shook her head at them, imagining the argument they must have had over which one would sleep on the floor and both being too stubborn to let the other do it. Finn had curled himself around Poe in his sleep, one arm draped over Poe's side, leaving Poe half-hanging off the very edge of the cot. It was a wonder he could sleep like that. Still, they both snored on.

She considered using the Force to move Poe back to his bed, but she knew that would probably wake one or both of them, so she decided against it. Instead, she stepped out of the pavilion for some fresh air. Outside, the moonlight cast harsh shadows over the camp. By its position, she judged it to be only around halfway through the night. She rolled her head around, her neck stiff after sleeping for so long, and set off through the camp, feeling a walk would do well to clear her head of the last of the drugs

Chewie was sitting against the hangar wall, methodically cleaning his bandolier, when Rey came that way. Hearing her soft footsteps on the grass, he gurgled a quiet greeting to her.

Startled, she whirled towards him, then her face softened. "What are you doing up, Chewie?" she asked as she came towards him.

He moaned and shook his head.

"I can't sleep, either," she said. "I've already slept much too long." She plunked herself down next to him, and they shared a companionable silence for a few moments as she watched his deft fingers. "Chewie," she began, struck by a sudden curiosity, "How did you and Han meet?"

He set the bandolier aside and let out a series of murmuring roars.

"The Beast? How uncivilized of them."

He grunt-roared, followed by more gargling.

"You're joking," she said. "He called you what?"

Another gargling roar.

"I'm surprised you two became as fast friends as you did, considering all that." He roared in response, and she chuckled. "He certainly did have a way with people."

He let out another long, chuckling roar, punctuated by gargling.

"You're not serious!" she cried, the corners of her mouth lifting. "Leia kissed Luke?"

He roared, and she laughed again. "He never told me! What else can you tell me about back then?"

So he told her all about the days of the Old Republic, how he and the other Wookiees had fought in the Clone Wars alongside Master Yoda. How the Republic and the Jedi had fallen. How he and Han had gotten involved with the Rebellion and helped overthrow the Empire. How Han and Leia had fallen in love and gotten married. Rey listened to it all with rapt attention. But then he fell silent, his thoughts far off.

"You must miss them," Rey said.

Chewie moaned softly, passing one paw over his furry head.

"They didn't die in vain, Chewie," she said, placing a gentle hand on his forearm.

He roared, more aggressively this time, and shook his head adamantly.

"I know, Chewie, but he's changed now. He's not Kylo Ren anymore."

He roared gutturally, turning his head away from her.

"Were you two close when he was a boy?"

Chewie bowed his head, a soft moan escaping his lips.

"It must have been hard for you to watch him do everything he did."

He roared roughly, his nostrils flaring.

Rey was silent for a few moments, considering what he'd said. "I understand that you can't forgive him yet, Chewie," she said. "And I can't ask you to after all he's done. All I can say is that he's not the man he used to be. Give him a chance if you can, Chewie. You mean a lot to him, I can sense it."

He shrugged and let out a low, gurgling moan.

"I understand," she replied, a sadness underlying her tone, and let it go. The two fell silent, and Chewie returned to cleaning his bandolier. Rey glanced up at the sky, which had faded from navy blue to grey, the sun resting just below the tree line. She could hear the sounds of the base beginning to wake: the whirring of droids out and about, the yawns of their human counterparts, the crackling of fires just started to cook breakfast. She got to her feet, brushing loose grass off of her behind.

"I'll see you later, Chewie," she said, and he grunted a farewell in response. She headed back to the main pavilion to see if Finn and Poe had woken up yet, curious to know how the other attacks had gone. She ducked into the pavilion just in time to see Poe throwing the flap open that led to the sleeping area, an alarmed expression on his face that melted the moment he saw her.

"Rey," he said, coming to her. "We thought you'd wandered off and gotten yourself hurt or something." Behind him, Finn drew the flap aside and joined them near the entrance.

"I can take care of myself, you know," Rey replied, her eyebrow arching.

"Last time we saw you, you were high on drugs," Poe replied. "Excuse us for worrying, it won't happen again."

"I managed to look after myself long before you showed up," she shot back. "I don't need you clucking over me like a mother ripper-raptor."

"I have no clue what that is, but I don't-"

"Stop it," Finn interjected, then turned to Rey. "What he's trying to say is that we're glad you're okay."

She folded her arms. "You two might not be if you keep talking like that," she said. "Maybe I will go back to Tatooine, just to get away from you."

"Hey, you promised you'd stay here," Poe shot back, jabbing his finger in her face. She batted it aside.

"That was a moment of weakness, before I remembered how impossible you are."

"Guys!" Finn said, exasperated. "We have more important things to talk about."

"You tell her, Finn," Poe said, brushing past Rey and leaving the pavilion. "I'm going for a walk."

Rey huffed at him as he left, then turned back to Finn. "How you can stand being co-general with him, I'll never understand."

Finn chuckled. "He is stubborn."

"That's an understatement," she replied, then let it go. "You said you had something you needed to tell me?"

"Yes. Poe and I have discussed it-"

"While you were sharing a bed last night?" she asked, smirking.

He cleared his throat awkwardly and glanced away. She could almost see the heat rising from his cheeks. "We just-wanted to make sure you had a comfortable place to sleep, that's all."

"Mm-hmm," she replied, her smile broadening at his obvious discomfiture.

"And we decided this before we went to bed," he continued, trying to regain his dignity.

"So what did you decide?" Rey asked, letting him off the hook for the moment, and genuinely curious as to what he was talking about.

"We're going to do a broadcast for all the stormtroopers who are still with the First Order," he began. "We're going to tell them that they can come join us and that we'll help them establish a new life, find their families for them if we can."

"Finn, that's wonderful!" she said, grinning. "Any idea how many will come?"

He shrugged. "My guess is most of them."

Her brow furrowed. "What about the others? The ones who don't?"

"Still trying to work out the details on that," Finn said with a sigh. "Poe wants to execute them, but I think we should wait until we've got a government in place and put them on trial."

She nodded thoughtfully. "It might be a long time before we get that far," she replied, "but I agree with you. Now that there's relative peace in the galaxy, they should be justly treated."

Finn bobbed his head eagerly. "Exactly. I'm heading up the operation. I know Jannah agrees with me, so I want to ask her to help me make this happen. And Ben's agreed to do the transmission himself."

"That ought to get their attention," she replied.

"That's what I was thinking," he said. "I'm hoping to do the broadcast later today, if we can get a hold of a First Order signal to use by then."

: :

Ben settled himself onto the stool in front of the communications array, accepting the microphone from Poe. His eyes flicked up and around the dense circle of people around him, and Rey could sense his unease.

"Give us some space," she said, jerking her chin at the Resistance fighters gathered around them. She placed a hand on Ben's shoulder and squeezed gently. Poe and Finn stood on his other side, both looking tense. She noticed Chewie standing against a tree a little ways off, turned away from them, but she could tell he was listening intently. Perhaps this might soften the Wookiee's resentment.

Ben took a deep breath, glancing to Rey for reassurance. She offered a small nod, her lips pressed together in a smile. He raised the microphone to his lips and nodded to Finn to start the transmission, who reached over and pressed a button on the center console.

"Stormtroopers of the First Order," Ben began. "My name is Ben Solo, but most of you know me as Kylo Ren." His voice gave out a little, and Rey squeezed his shoulder. He took another breath and continued. "As Snoke's right hand and then as the Supreme Leader myself, my dedication to the cause was absolute. I even sacrificed my own father in order to rid myself of weakness." His jaw clenched, and Rey moved her hand to the back of his head to run her fingers through his hair. "I don't need to list everything I did for the First Order and for Snoke to you, you all lived through it. You all know the kind of man I was." He paused, and Rey could sense him gathering his courage to go on.

"I was wrong," he said. "I thought I could make the galaxy better by destroying everything that came before, everything holding it back. Everything my parents built. And there is a time and a place for having a fresh start. I still believe this galaxy needs one. But terrorizing it into submission is not the way." He paused once more. "I went to Exegol, not to join Darth Sidious and rule the galaxy, but to save the last Jedi. I have now joined with the Resistance and plan to dedicate the rest of my life to righting the wrongs I committed as Kylo Ren. I am asking you to join me. To join us. Help us to heal the galaxy. Help us to rebuild a better order than those that have gone before." He allowed a few moments of silence for his words to sink in for any listeners before saying, "General Finn of the Resistance has a few words he would like to say."

He held the microphone up to Finn, who's eyes went wide. He shook his head adamantly, hissing "no way, I don't have anything to say!"

Poe dug his elbow into Finn's side and said, "Yeah, you do. Just take it."

Glaring Poe down, Finn accepted the microphone and cleared his throat as he brought it to his mouth. "Hey, guys," he began, then shook his head, huffing in frustration. "I don't know what to say," he hissed to Poe.

"Just start talking," he said. "You got this."

Finn's eyes bored into Poe's, and a few moments of tense silence passed. At last, he nodded. "My name is Finn." He took a deep breath. "I used to be a stormtrooper just like all of you. FN-2187. Some of you might remember me." Then he chuckled. "Actually, a lot of you might. I was the one who left, who helped the rebel pilot escape over Jakku." His eyes rose to Poe's face, and he seemed to take strength from him. "I got lucky. I had a chance to escape the First Order. Most of you haven't had that chance. So we're offering it to you now. We can help relocate you, help you build new lives. Just because the First Order is all you've known, doesn't mean it's all you ever have to know. We can help you if you let us." His gaze traveled across the faces of the people who had given him his second chance. "We're transmitting coordinates to you now. If you are interested in accepting our offer, go there." He paused, searching for suitable final words while Poe sent the coordinates over. "We can all be more than the First Order meant us to be. FN-2187, signing off."

With a click, he ended the transmission, setting the microphone down on the console. Poe pulled him into a tight hug and said, "See, I told you you could do it!" Finn's face broke out in a relieved grin.

"Well done, both of you," Rey said, smiling broadly.

Finn's com chimed, and he released Poe to answer it. "If I'd been on the other end of that, I would have ditched the First Order, no questions asked, even while it was in power," Jannah said.

Finn laughed. "You already did."

"Fair enough," she replied, joining in his laughter.

Ben stood, his eyes passing over the crowd of rebels, most of whom were excitedly discussing the possibility of former stormtroopers joining them-as well as some who seemed less than thrilled-but there were a few approving and even friendly glances thrown his way. He sensed that the general opinion of him had risen, that he was one step closer to truly becoming one of them. And the realization made him happy, of course, but also uneasy. He had never been liked by his peers, only feared.

"Is the base set up yet?" Poe asked, throwing his arm around Finn's shoulders to speak into his com.

"We're almost there," Jannah replied. "We'll be done by the time they get here."

"If you need anything, let us know," Finn said.

"Will do," she replied, then ended the call.

Ben's gaze travelled over to where Chewie stood, now facing them. After a moment, Chewie bowed his head slowly and moaned something too quietly for Rey to understand before turning away and heading back towards the Falcon.

"What did he say?" she asked Ben, her eyes flicking up to his face, where she found his expression vulnerable and open in stunned surprise.

He swallowed hard, as though fighting back emotion. "He said my parents would be proud."

Tears gathering in her eyes, Rey took his hand and squeezed it, smiling up at him. "They are."

He nodded reflectively, the corners of his mouth lifting into a small smile. Then his brows drew together, and he said, "But it's not enough."

"We won't be able to fix it all overnight," she replied. "It's going to take time."

He turned to face her, his gaze intense, and released her hand to take her shoulders. "I won't give up, Rey," he said. "I'll do whatever it takes."

"I know," she said firmly, cupping his cheek with her hand.


	20. Two That are One

Poe looked up as Rey approached, Ben at her side. "Are you two ready to head out?" he asked.

"Just about," Rey said.

"Good luck out there," Poe replied, offering his hand.

Rey grasped his arm and pulled him into a hug. "Do try and keep yourself out of trouble," she said.

Poe chuckled as he squeezed her. "Me? Trouble?"

Rey stepped away from him, and Poe looked to Ben. After a moment, he stuck his hand out. Taken aback, Ben accepted it and gave it a firm shake. "Looks like the future of our galaxy is up to you two and some long-dead Jedi ghosts," Poe said.

"We'll keep you updated on our progress," Rey said. "With luck, we won't be long."

"You just let me know if they have any brilliant ideas for how to set up a galactic government," he replied. "I'm fresh out."

Rey smirked. "Certainly, General," she said with a mocking salute. Then, as she and Ben turned to go, she added over her shoulder, "I'll tell Leia you said hello."

"Just don't tell her how bad we've messed things up," he called after them. It wasn't audible in his voice, but if one had looked closely at General Poe Dameron, they would have noticed the tears in his eyes, tears that he quickly swallowed back. His heart ached to go after them, to speak to Leia himself, to beg her to tell him what to do. How had she done it? The weight of a galaxy was heavy indeed, and she had borne it for almost forty years.

He had often pictured what the galaxy might look like once it was free of the First Order's tyranny, but she had always been a part of that picture, leading the galaxy into a new dawn of peace and hope. Now it was up to him, a smuggler turned Resistance fighter, and Finn, an ex-stormtrooper. He sighed and rubbed his forehead. The odds were against them. But then again, hadn't they always been?

: :

"How about that clearing up there?" Rey shouted back to Ben over the whine of their speeders.

"Looks good to me," he shouted back, and they both braked, bringing their speeders to a smooth stop at the edge of the trees. Rey hopped off, almost knee-deep in leafy undergrowth, and set out into the middle of the clearing. It certainly wasn't spacious, but it would do. Ben dismounted and unstrapped their tent from the back of his speeder. As he approached Rey, she turned her face up to the sun and closed her eyes, a soft smile on her face.

"It's so peaceful out here," she said.

Ben looked up and around them, eyes scanning the treetops. He tried to open himself up to the peace Rey had felt, but he only encountered a knot of anxiety in the pit of his stomach. "Yeah," he replied noncommittally after a moment, then continued on to a patch of dirt that looked large enough for their tent.

Rey opened her eyes and looked over at him, a crease appearing between her brows. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, his back to her as he bent over to dump everything out of the tent bag.

She could sense his unease, but let it go for the moment, making her way over to him to help him set up the tent. He unfolded the tarp and flung it out over the ground as Rey sorted through the rest of the bag's contents.

"I thought you said this would be easy," Rey said, narrowing her eyes accusatorially at him over the tent as she unrolled it.

"It will be," he said, coming over to her. "Look, you just lay the tent down on top of the tarp, tie it down with the stakes, stick the poles in, and then you're done." He picked up one end of the tent, and they set it down on the tarp.

"Maybe I'm just used to living on a junkyard of a planet," she said, "but making my own shelter usually isn't this complicated."

He handed her a couple of stakes, and they set to burying them firmly in the ground. "Have you ever set up a tent before?" he asked.

"No, I lived in a scrapped AT-AT on Jakku," she said. "Also, it didn't rain on my planet, so it wasn't a problem to sleep out under the stars." She upended the bag of poles, sending them clattering to the forest floor. "What are these supposed to be?"

He chuckled and walked over to her, crouching to pick up the poles. "These fit together, end to end, to make two long poles that cross over the tent, like this," he said, pointing out the sleeves for the poles on the tent.

"Where did you learn to put up a tent?" Rey asked. "I can't imagine you did this often in the First Order."

"When I trained with my uncle," he replied as they each took a set of poles to fit together. "We'd take treks out into the wilderness. All of us Padawans slept under the stars, but Luke always brought a tent. He used to say he was getting too old to sleep outside like that."

"What was he like when he was younger?" Rey asked, bracing her pole against the ground and threading it through the sleeve on the tent. "Before he got all mean and crotchety?"

Ben paused before answering, focused on threading his own pole through. "I'm not sure I can really answer that question, honestly." He braced the pole against the ground and lifted the tent into a dome shape. "I always saw him through the lens of Snoke's lies. I don't think I ever got to know the real him."

Rey nodded thoughtfully. "Well, I suppose that wasn't so bad," she said, admiring their work on the tent. "Though I think I still might prefer my old AT-AT," she continued, poking her head inside. "There's hardly any room to breathe in here."

"We can sleep outside when the weather's good, if you want," Ben replied, heading back to the speeders to grab their bedrolls. He tossed hers over, and she caught it deftly.

"Great," she replied, unrolling her bedroll and laying it down on the grassy undergrowth next to the tent. The corner of Ben's mouth lifted, and he followed suit. "Now that we're all set up, I think we have some things to discuss before we reach out to the Jedi." Ben seated himself on the ground, leaning against a log. Rey joined him, perching cross-legged on top of the log. "How about you go first?" she said. "Tell me about the other Dyad you found on Dantooine."

He nodded, his gaze far away as he gathered his thoughts. "Their names were Ashe and Chiara," he began with a heavy sigh, the visions he had seen burning in his mind's eye. "They lived thousands of years ago, if not more. They were sisters trained in the way of the Force, but Ashe turned to the Dark Side." Rey's eyes searched his face intently as she processed his words. "It was their connection as a Dyad that brought her back to the light." He looked over at Rey, his gaze heavy with meaning, with fear, and with hope. "Ashe's spirit visited me on Dantooine," he continued. "And she said her sister would visit you when the time came."

"What did Ashe tell you?" Rey asked, leaning forward and resting her elbows on her knees.

He looked back out at the forest, his brow furrowing. "She told me that I will never be free of the darkness. But she also said that one day I would look back on my life and feel pride. She told me that she sees the same thing in me you do," he said, his eyes flicking back towards Rey.

Rey nodded thoughtfully. "They might just be the key to finding balance in the Jedi," she said, her eyes intense. "Yoda came to me on Tatooine, and he said we needed to create a better Jedi Order than the one before. He said that we will fail, many times, but that we will succeed eventually."

"Let me guess, he told you that failure is the greatest teacher," Ben said wryly, shifting to face Rey, his elbow resting on the log.

Rey cocked her head, smirking. "Yes, he did."

"My uncle used to use that line on me all the time."

"That's funny, because Master Yoda told me Luke hardly learned anything at all from him."

Ben chuckled. "Somehow that doesn't surprise me." Then he sobered, his eyes fastened on Rey's. "We have to be better than they were, Rey," he said. "We can't let this happen again."

"I know," she said, the weight of her duty settling on her slight shoulders, heavier than a blanket of sand after a sandstorm.

"We'll do it together, Rey," Ben said, resting a hand on her knee as he sensed her unease. "I'm not going anywhere. Not this time."

She took a deep breath to calm herself, taking her hand in his and drawing reassurance from his solid presence next to her. Nodding firmly, she squeezed his fingers. "I know," she replied, her lips twitching into a small smile.

He pushed himself up onto the log to sit next to her and put his arms around her, pulling her close. Letting her legs fall to one side, she buried herself in his embrace, slipping her arms around him and squeezing him in return. They sat like that for a long moment, drawing strength from each other and from what they shared.

Two that are one, indeed, Rey thought. Then an idea struck her, and she straightened, pulling away from Ben as her mind raced. "Like the Sith and the Jedi," she murmured, her eyes flicking back and forth.

"Two sides of the same credit," Ben said, leaping to the same connections she was.

Rey nodded, her bright gaze fixed on him. "Exactly," she said. "It's obvious that the Sith take things too far, but-"

"What if the same is true of the Jedi?" Ben's eyes widened, and they stared at each other in stunned silence for a moment.

"Well, now we have a place to begin," Rey said, her face alight with hope.

Ben nodded. "We need to land somewhere between the celibate, emotionless holy warriors and the raging, power-hungry monsters. Sounds easy enough."

She raised her eyebrows at him and pursed her lips. "You could start by at least trying to have an optimistic outlook."

He chuckled, his eyes softening. "No promises."

Back at the base, Finn stuffed a pouch of ration bars into the saddlebag on his speeder. "Well, I think that's everything," he said, putting his hands on his hips as he racked his brain for anything he might have forgotten.

"If you forget anything, it's not like we're that far away, Finn," Poe said wryly. "Maybe I'll keep something of yours here so you have to come back before too long."

Finn shook his head, smiling. "You know, Rey's right about you," he said. "You're impossible."

Poe laughed. "I try my best." Then they both grew serious as they looked at one another, searching each other's eyes for something neither of them could quite name. "Take care of yourself out there, okay?" he said, clapping Finn on the shoulder.

Finn nodded. "Will do." After a moment, he pulled Poe into a tight hug, rubbing his back. They pulled apart a split second before either of them were quite ready, and Finn slung his leg over the speeder, getting himself settled in before looking up at Poe. "I expect you to have all the galaxy's problems solved by the time I get back," he said, then gunned the engine and sped off.

Poe watched him go, his throat suddenly tight with emotion. He swallowed, then cleared his throat, shaking his head impatiently. He knew Finn could take care of himself. He just wished they could do this together, like they'd done almost everything else since they'd met. As Finn vanished into the trees, Poe felt a strange emptiness, like part of him was missing. He shook the feeling off and squared his shoulders. Finn had his mission, and he had his.


End file.
